I Can't Say Goodbye
by xBeautifulTragedy
Summary: This is a story of obsession, war, violence, hatred, love, and jealousy. "I'm a Mudblood, you're a Death Eater.  I'm good, you're evil.  I'm Hermione Granger, you're Lucius Malfoy.  We are so terribly different, so then why do I love you?" on Haitus
1. Chapter 1 Ripped Apart

_**I can't say Goodbye**_

_**Chapter 1: Ripped Apart**_

_**Warning.**_

_**If you're looking for happy endings, this story is not one for you.**_

_Thus let me live, unheard, unknown;_

_**This isn't one of those 'lushius and 'mione fall in love and have 10 children and a puppy' stories.**_

_Thus unlamented let me die;_

_**This is a story of obsession, hate, love, torture, killing, and pure evil.**_

_Steal from the world, and not a stone_

_**Viewer discretion is advised.**_

_Tell where I lie._

**There are times when the things we treasure the most in our lives, the things that we consider to be truly beautiful and pure; are torn away from us in the blink of an eye. In just a second, just one night, things can go so wrong, and become so horribly misconstrued; that we find ourselves questioning everything we used to believe in.**

**Then there are the times were we wonder how a situation could have gone differently, had one minor detail not occurred. It's incredible really, to think about such immense power; and how a mere second can alter and shift the very foundations of our lives. **

**Love, hate, resentment; have you ever wondered what life would be like if these emotions suddenly ceased to exist? **

**Have you ever sat down and thought about the ironic pathos of life? **

**Most importantly, have you ever wondered why people would want to commit something as sinful as revenge? What terrors they must have faced to awaken such a feeling?**

Well I have. Those questions are the only thoughts that occupy my mind now. It's almost laughable really, to see how affected I've become by them. I used to be the happy-go-lucky type of person, all smiles, go-with-the-flow and all that jazz. Now everything I have ever loved, is gone. It all simply disappeared; vanished...

But enough about me. If I drone on about all the things I've lost, I won't get to share the information I gathered on that fateful night. I was there, hidden in the shadows, and I saw everything. Unfortunately for all events that occurred prior to it, I wasn't around.

This story isn't from my point of view, even though I would like it to be.

Maybe I could have changed the outcome if it were, Maybe not.

That thought, along with many others, will haunt me forever.

Nevertheless, I have spent years scrounging around listening to whispers, putting together missing links in the details and deciphering supposed facts about what really went on. After years of accumulating research I'm finally ready to tell the story.

I shall take you back to when the war was at its highest point. Ron, Harry, and Hermione were trying to find horcruxes and Voldemort was gathering more recruits. It was dark times, and the sky had a seemingly perpetual black twinge to it. This was is the beginning and the end of an era, the time when my life _ripped apart._

* * *

_**"**__Oh I've seen the girl grow up and she is just delightful. Nothing like her father though, it's quite a shame. Her father and mother hardly ever speak to one another much. It's quite selfish to put the kid through all of that. But that is their lives, I can't intervene. But rumour has it, she had an affair with another man and that's where the child came from. But then again, it's only a rumour."_

_**"Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing up." ~ James Baldwin**_

The Daily Prophet

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**DARK MARK SPOTTED OVER LONDON**

"Last night, at approximately 6:52 p.m. Witch Anberlynn Aponte claimed to see yet another dark mark as she was leaving her home in London. After this first claim, more and more people claimed that they too saw the ominous sign on impeding death..."

**ANOTHER AZKABAN OUTBREAK**

"Four more known convicted death eaters broke out of Azkaban yesterday morning. Lucius Malfoy, Antonin Dolohov, Rodopholus Lestrange and Rabastan Lestrange are among the four..."

Hermione Granger sat on her bed, glancing at the headlines of the Daily Prophet. A slight shudder ran though her body as she read the paragraph about the Azkaban breakout. _'There's really no end to this is there?' _she thought. She lightly messaged her temples and tried to think about other things; like the upcoming quest. Tomorrow after Bill and Fleurs' wedding, she would be leaving with Ron and Harry to find more horcruxes'. Lately everything had seemed so rushed and disorganized. The reason, though obvious, did not calm Hermione in the least. All she wanted was to sit back and take a break from the frantic pace. _'Not possible though'_ she thought. _'So don't even think about it'_.

In school Hermione was always known as the miss know-it-all, and some other names she would have liked to forget. She always enjoyed solving mysteries, and she possessed a sense of adventure; but now...

Hermione shook all the thoughts from her mind as she stood up. She walked over to the makeshift dresser on the other side of the room and smiled sadly at her reflection. She was currently staying at the Burrow because she figured it was probably the safest place for her at the moment; plus she loved being around the Weasley's. They always made her feel at home, no matter what was going on around them. Although she loved her parents and wanted to be with them more than anything, she knew she couldn't be at home, it wouldn't be safe. Not for her, and certainly not for them.

She looked up at the mirror and picked up the brush that was sitting on the smooth oak surface. Her reflection stared bleakly back at her and she felt shock ripple up her spine. Her hair resembled a lion's mane more than anything. This wasn't terribly upsetting however; for it never quite fell the way she wanted it to. It stuck out at odd angles in vicious curl to the point where it drove her mad; not that she could do anything about it. Her skin was now so pale that she appeared almost ghostly in any type of dim lighting, despite the ample amounts she spent outside these days.

But what really got to her were her eyes. People say that the eyes are the window of one's soul. Her eyes, once a rich dark brown and full of happiness, were now wide with fear. She hoped nobody else picked up on this, but she couldn't be sure. Her friends were infuriatingly perceptive; especially Harry. He had a knack for sensing people's emotions. Mainly the one's he was close to. She wasn't about to give up yet though. Their adventure hadn't even begun.

She always put on a brave facade for Harry's sake. They had been through so much together, and they weren't even close to the end. It wouldn't do to lose her marbles now. Harry was scared out of his wits, even if he tried not to show it and Hermione needed to be there for him. She needed to show him that she still believed they could win the war.

All these thoughts were running through her mind almost at once, like fierce voices yelling orders at her. It was like standing out during a storm. No matter how much you want the thunder and the noise to pass, it just seemed to get worse.

The sound of running footsteps jogged her from her thoughts and she sighed in mild annoyance. The house wasn't built for privacy, and you certainly couldn't walk around in it quietly. It was probably just one of the boys running around trying to get things ready for the wedding. Thinking of that, Hermione walked over to her bed to get her wand to go out and help.

Her door slammed open and she jumped, dropping her wand with a small cry. Her heart was still beating frantically as she turned to the doorway. A small smile crept across her face as she realized who her visitor was, but it disappeared as quickly as it came.

"What's wrong Ron?" she asked quietly. Her stomach had coiled itself into tight knots as if it had sensed impending doom.

Ron's eyes were wide and his nostrils flared as he answered her "Hermione, It's Ginny! She's missing!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

**Yeah so, first chapter! Woo! Reviews, comments, critiques, all is welcome!**


	2. Chapter 2 The Moment

_**I can't say Goodbye**_

_**Chapter 2. The Moment.**_

_"Granger? Hermione Granger? Ah yes, such a sweet girl. Always came around during the summer and baked my husband and I cookies. We always looked forward to it. She was so lively and pleasant. But when we didn't see her around for awhile we asked her parents, and they looked at us as if we had three heads. They had no recollection of her. It was odd. I've seen her around a few times, but she isn't the same. After...well..."_

_**Courage is not the absence of fear, but rather the judgment that something else is more important than fear. ~Ambrose Redmoon**_

"What?" Hermione stood still, frozen in shock. "Are you sure she isn't here?" Grotesque images clouded her mind, and she shuddered. Now was not the time to have such thoughts.

"Positive. We looked everywhere. She went out into the field for something, then all of a sudden we heard a pop and she was gone." Ron cried. He was shaking terribly, Hermione noted.

She stood motionless, as fear began to creep up her spine. Ginny was missing, and if she was honest with herself; possibly never coming back. _'No'_ she thought firmly, _'Not if I can help it'._ "What are we going to do?"

"I don't know yet. Come downstairs, Mum called for the rest of the order to a while ago." Ron replied. He turned and walked away, while Hermione stared dazedly after him. _'Ginny...where are you...' _

She bent to pick up her fallen wand, warding off the tears that threatened to fall. Crying wouldn't bring Ginny back. They needed to come up plan as fast as possible. Whoever took her was definitely not on the light side. Time was of the essence.

Harry was waiting at the bottom of the stairs when Hermione came down. "Harry! Oh, it's great to see you! I didn't know you were here." She pulled him into a hug, soothed by his presence.

"I came as soon as I heard," He said. He sounded tired, broken..._'Well Ginny is his girlfriend'_ Hermione thought.

Mrs. Weasley shuffled into the room at the moment. She had a way of hiding her worries that Hermione really admired. Now, however, she looked frantic and haggard.

"Harry dear, I'm so glad you are here. Come now, we have things to discuss," she gestured for them to follow her.

They made their way to the kitchen were a large ground of people were already gathered. Hermione recognized some from the Order and others she didn't. She spied Ron in the corner and made her way over to him; with Harry close on her heels.

"It's obviously Death Eaters who took her!" someone began "If it wasn't I wouldn't bother to be here." _'Jackass'_ Hermione thought bitterly. Wasn't the fact that Ginny was missing good enough for him?

"How can you be sure of that?" Another chimed in "We have plenty of other enemies,"

"What kind of statement is that? Whether they are Death Eaters or not, Ginerva is missing and even if it was _'another enemy'_ as you say, that's just as bad!" Hermione silently agreed with him.

"Is she really missing? She could have run away." Hermione rolled her eyes at that and Ron made a noise of deep disgust. Harry's face was completely impassive. Hermione gently patted his shoulder hoping he wouldn't suddenly lose his temper. He had a bad habit of jumping the gun when things didn't quite go the way he wanted them to.

"My daughter is missing" Mrs. Weasley's voice cut through the hubbub like a knife. "And all you can talk about are Death Eaters and running away. My daughter would never run away!" her voice trembled on the last bit. "She was here one minute and gone the next-,"

"Well there you go. She probably apparated to Hogsmeade for some candy or something. Were we really called here for such a foolish reason?" an older witch interjected. She was leaning against the door frame looking as unimpressed as one could look. Hermione blinked in shock, _'Who would say such a thing?'_ she wondered. She threw a scathing look in the witch's general direction. She looked almost looked like corpse. Her skin was an odd grey color; her face taunt, like paper drawn over bones. Her greying hair fell wildly down her hunched back, and she blinked bleakly at everyone out of dull grey eyes. Those eyes...Hermione couldn't quite place what she saw, but she could have sworn she had seen her somewhere before. _'But where?'_ she wondered. A moment later she shrugged it off. She would have remembered if it were important.

"Mildred! How can you be so insensitive? We are talking about the Weasley's daughter, and possibly a connection to Voldemort! Don't you care at all?" cried another wizard.

Hermione looked around the room at all the shocked faces, too shocked to say anything more. At that point Harry stormed out of the room without saying a word.

"Harry..." she called following him. She heard Ron racing after her. She finally caught up to him in the living room.

"They don't give a flying Frisbee, Hermione" Harry raged as he turned to face her. "Calling this meeting was pointless! We have to do this alone, we're ALWAYS ALONE!" Hermione shrunk back from his threatening scowl.

"We're not always alone-,"

"No Hermione. I don't want to hear it. Most of those people in there aren't even part of the Order. They don't care about what happens to Ginny! We need to be the ones to save her." Harry was adamant. There was no arguing with him.

"He's right Herm, we have to do this alone," Ron said. "They won't do anything to help." Hermione gave up after that. It was two against one, and they had valid points too.

"...Alright...Ron, can you show us the exact spot where Ginny last was?"

"Follow me," he said turning to lead the way.

"Okay so this is it then?" Hermione confirmed once Ron stopped. He nodded and scuffed the ground with his shoe.

Hermione looked around. She had no idea what she was looking for, but anything could help. Even a piece of thread from a cloak. After about an hour of looking around it seemed like a lost cause. Just as Hermione was about to give up she heard Harry shout.

"Ron! Hermione! I think I found something! I don't know for sure but look at this!"

"What is it?"

"Well, I don't know. It looks like part of a cloak or something, and I think this is hair on it!"

Hermione grabbed the piece of cloth from his hand, "Ginny must have really put up a fight against whoever took her if she managed to rip this off of their cloak!"

They all just stood there for a few moments, thoughts whirling through their minds. Maybe hope wasn't lost. They could find and save Ginny and at least they would be safe for now. "Also Harry, you said there was a piece of hair on it."

"Yeah, it's platinum blonde, almost white, and who do we know who is a Death Eater with that color of hair?" Harry sarcastically. All three of them knew exactly who it was without them even exchanging any words. The last time Harry had seen him was in the tower the night Dumbledore was murdered and he had hoped that would be the last. Unfortunately he knew it wasn't going to be, and now with Ginny being kidnapped by him, he would have to face him yet again. Draco Malfoy. He thought about what he would do when he saw him again. He remembered how it seemed so long ago that Draco had been nothing more than a playground bully. Now it seemed like he would have to fight him to the death. He let out a sigh and looked up at the worried faces of Ron and Hermione.

"Hermione, didn't you say onetime how it's possible to track people with just a piece of their clothing?" She smirked at him.

"That I did".

* * *

"So Hermione, can we please just go over this one more time?" Ron asked with absolute fear in his voice. It had been three days since they decided they were going to go to Malfoy Manor and snoop around, in hopes of getting information on where Ginny was. They received information from a few Aurors on where Draco would be within the next week. It seemed the whole world was against them, but they still could get some people on their side that they could trust.

"Okay, well, we are almost positive the Malfoy family has Ginny for who knows what. So I'm going to turn into Draco using polyjuice potion since he is going to be gone, and Harry managed to save the hair that was on that piece of cloth. They have a barrier around their home that prevents people to apparate in and out of it. We will apparate about a quarter mile from the house and walk the rest of the way, hopefully getting through the barrier. Once we get there, I'll go in through the main entrance, then Ron, you and Harry are going to take your brooms and sneak in somewhere above the house, namely a window or skylight. Harry you will be under the invisibility cloak while flying, then once you two get inside, Ron you get under it as well. Our sources said that Narcissa and Draco would be gone, leaving only Lucius there. So I will try to search inside the house, and hopefully won't be caught, but if I am I'll just say I forgot something. But after everything, apparently the Malfoy's aren't trusted by the Dark Lord as they used to be. So they will only be left alone for a few hours at the max, and if anything Bellatrix may be there as well. Hopefully none of us will run into her. Well we will go in for an hour, no more, no less. Even if we don't find anything about Ginny, as hard as it may be, we need to get out of there. We will go back some other time if it doesn't work out today. Our main thing is to keep you safe Harry, and I'm pretty sure Ginny wants the same thing too. So...are we ready?"

There was a silence among them, and it was almost like they were considering backing out. Before they could decide to Hermione picked up the potion and dropped Draco's hair into it.

"Hermione, are you sure I shouldn't be the one doing this-,"

"Harry no way! You are the most important person at this time. You can't be in the line of fire at this point. You will stick with the invisibility cloak so you can get out safely; if need be." Seeing that Harry was about to protest again, Hermione quickly guzzled the potion. This brought back memories of her second year, and it almost ended the same way. She stood up and started to grow taller. Her frizzy brown hair started to turn platinum blonde and turn so much straighter, but it didn't get any shorter. In fact it grew longer. She looked down and noticed newly formed curves, and couldn't help but notice her chest not getting any smaller either, but it got a bit bigger. She looked at Ron and Harry's shocked faces.

"What?"

"Hermione, I don't think that was Draco's hair..." Ron muttered.

"It was Narcissa's. It must have been on his clothes," Harry pointed out. He cracked a small smile. "How does it feel to be Lucius' wife?" Ron chuckled quietly at that, while Hermione glared daggers at him.

* * *

The trio arrived outside the mansion a little later and stared at the imposing building in awe. 'Well, here we go' Rom murmured to no one in particular.

"Good luck, guys. Remember, even if I'm not back within the hour you must leave. Do not wait on me. It's crucial that you stay hidden, especially you Harry. You're our only hope," with that Hermione strode through the front gate into hell itself. Of course Harry and especially Ron wanted to argue about that. They were best friends, they couldn't just leave her. But deep down they knew this is how it had to be. They just hoped their plan would work, and they all could get back to the Burrow safely with Ginny.

Hermione looked up and saw Ron speeding towards the top of the mansion. She wasn't sure if this would be her last sight of him or not, so she wanted to savor it. Leaving her parents was bad enough. Now she was leaving her best friend and the boy she loved, and it was just too much.

The boy she loved. That was a new one. Of course she had been feeling that for quite some time now, but she had never admitted it before. It was understandable though, given the situation. It was quite possible that she would never see him again. _'Oh I can't think like this. I will get out and it will be fine. We will get Ginny and it will be fine. We'll all get out, and back to the burrow, and we'll be fine'. _Her constant repetition of said mantra didn't calm her in the least.

She reached the front doors, not knowing what to expect once she opened them. She took one door and opened it very slowly, trying not to make any noise what-so-ever. She peeked in and thankfully nobody was in the foyer. It seemed silly to be so timid, for if someone caught her, it would look all to suspicious, with her being so dodgy. She was Narcissa Malfoy, after all.

The shoes she picked out to wear seemed all too loud now that she was walking around in the long marble hallways. _'Who lives like this?'_ she wondered. Everything was, either: black, grey, or green. There seemed to be at least fifty candles lining the walls in just one hallway. However, even with the little flames, the house still had a cold, eerie feel to it.

The hallway Hermione was walking down had to be at least 100 feet in length. She passed around twenty doors or so, leading off into other rooms. All the doors looked the same. They were tall, elegantly made, and black. She wondered how they could tell the rooms apart; everything looked the same. Had the circumstances been different, she would have found the thought intriguing. Now, everything just seemed dark and gloomy; nothing more. _'I guess this reflects how cold this __**family**_ _can be.'_ Hermione smirked at her own thoughts, '_Family?_''.

How did one define what a _family_ was, anyways? In Hermione's mind, a family was a close knit group of people living in a typical suburban home; with a dog. The father was over-protective of his daughter and taught his son how to be a _man._ The mother held the family together and listened to the kids when they needed someone to talk to. That's what Hermione figured a real family was.

Take the Weasley's for example. They were a family. They stuck by each other through thick and thin, they loved each other. A _perfect_ family. The Malfoy's weren't a family. They were just a group of people who were connected, and forced to live together. Who knew if Lucius and Narcissa really loved each other? Were they even _capable_ of _love_?

She was so caught up with her thoughts she lost her way. _'Oh shoot!_' she thought. She was supposed to remember how to get out of here in case of an emergency. She decided to just continue straight. The house had to end somewhere.

She came across a door that opened into a big room with only a chair and a fireplace. There was a fire going, giving the room an eerie feel.

Curiosity overtook her and she continued forward, eager to look at the chair on the other side of the room. It was small, like a loveseat. All black leather, but it looked as if it hadn't been sat in for ages. There was a book placed on the seat cushion. _'Ha! These people read. That's a shock._' She thought to herself as she picked up the book. Books had always been her weakness. Count on Hermione to be interested in them at a time like this.

"Ooohhh, Cissy. What are you doing back so soon?" The high-pitched voice echoed in the empty room. Hermione froze like a deer caught in headlights.

"Bellatrix...I was just leaving."

"Bellatrix?" she sounded perplexed. "You haven't used my full name in years." Her eyes narrowed. "I thought you left with little Draco an hour ago. You know you shouldn't be around when the Dark Lord gets here with the others. Didn't you say you didn't want to hear the screams of that filthy blood-traitor? Hehe," Bellatrix ended with a little laugh.

_'Oh god...Ginny.'_ Hermione thought. She looked back up at Bellatrix, and there was such happiness in her eyes. '_What kind of person would take pleasure in torturing someone?_'

"You're right. I don't. As I said I was just leaving. But I wanted to have a little word with the...filthy blood-traitor. Where might she be?" How Hermione managed to say that out loud was even a mystery to her. She was trying to be careful on how she worded things. She could tell that Bellatrix was already suspicious of her.

Bellatrix waltzed her way over closer to Hermione. Her wild black hair swaying and her black eyes narrowing with every step. "And why, my dear sister, would you want to even waste your time with filth like that? She is less than the dirt on your shoe. There's no need to waste your time on her. Just leave. The Dark Lord should be here. Any. Minute. Now."

Hermione couldn't help but take a step back with every step Bellatrix took forward.

_'She knows. Oh god she knows!' _Hermione was screaming in her head. "Well I was just curious..."

"Curious aye? Just...curious. You're acting...strange. Are you sure you don't want to stay here for awhile, hmm?" Bellatrix was less than two feet away from Hermione now.

"..Um no. I really should be going." Hermione tried to walk around, not looking Bellatrix directly in the eye.

_"Hehe okay...if you sayy sooo" _Bellatrix said in a sing-song voice. For a moment it almost reminded Hermione of Luna's spacey voice, but she could never disgrace Luna so much; comparing her to this monster.

"And if you must know," Bellatrix said suddenly. "That piece of dirt is down in the cellar of this room" She pointed to a door Hermione hadn't noticed before. Hermione looked out of the corner of her eye to see if Bellatrix was gone. She was.

Hermione started walking towards the door, but a wave of Goosebumps came over her. She recognized the feeling. Harry had described the way he felt after the polyjuice potion wore off to her.

Hermione looked at the door, and then back at the doorway leading out of the room. Should she leave Ginny here, and save herself? Was she even capable of that? Or should she risk the safety of both of them? Hermione began walking towards the door of the cellar when a wave of nausea washed over her.

No, she had to leave. The hour was almost up; she had no time left. At least she knew exactly where Ginny was. She could come back with Harry and Ron later. Bellatrix said that Voldemort would be here...it wasn't safe for Harry to be around and not know that. They could go back and tell the Order. Plus with twenty or more Death Eaters arriving here, they needed to leave.

Tears started to pour from her eyes as she turned to run out of the room, knowing she was leaving poor Ginny behind. She felt horrible. She kept on running and tried not to look back. '_Hold on Ginny. We will be back. I promise. Be safe. We will rescue you._' With tears stinging her eyes and blurring her vision she really wasn't paying attention to where she was going. All of a sudden she ran into something...or rather..._someone_.

"Narcissa. This is unexpected. I thought you and Draco left already? Have you been crying?"

The smooth, velvety voice she recognized all too well was talking to her. A hand with a black glove on it reached down, grabbed her arm, and pulled her up. She looked up to see the face of Lucius Malfoy. His words showed care, but when you looked into his eyes there was nothing; no concern, no worry, no care. Just. Nothing. But his _grey_ eyes... Hermione's eyes widened. Grey eyes..."_'Mildred! How can you be so insensitive?"_ The memory of the awful witch from the meeting came flooding back. '_No. It couldn't have been...'_

"Narcissa? Are you alright?" The swarthy voice snapped Hermione out of her thoughts. It was then that she realized she had been staring straight into his eyes. For some reason she found herself unable to look away.

"Yes. I was just leaving..." How could she even talk? She hated this man with every fibre of her being. She was equally afraid of him too. All the while she was stared straight into his eyes. She knew she should look away but she couldn't. She couldn't get away with the way he was holding on to her arm either, so she simply stood still.

* * *

**_Lucius_**

'_Narcissa...Well she's certainly acting odd. I haven't seen her cry in years, if ever.'_ He thought. He felt bad that she was sitting on the floor so he offered a hand to help her up. She just looked at it so he grabbed her arm and pulled her up. She didn't say anything, which was strange. But she seemed to be staring into his eyes, so he stared back. Brown eyes...

Narcissa never had brown eyes. She had the deepest blue eyes he had ever seen. They were beautiful, but this color almost put that to shame. He caught himself wondering about the color of her eyes a bit too long. This was never like him. Maybe Narcissa did have brown eyes. He didn't know. It wasn't in his nature to remember such trifles.

"Narcissa? Are you alright?" He asked in hopes of distracting himself from thinking about her eye color. She jumped at his words and he raised a pale eyebrow at her.

"Oh...umm, Yes...I was just leaving..." she said. Her voice seemed a bit off. He couldn't quite place it, but he knew it was different.

He looked into her eyes again and he didn't know what came over him. He pulled her into a gentle hug; flush against his body. He wrapped one arm around her waist and slid the other up to rest at the back of her head. He couldn't remember the last time he had given someone a hug like this. Even to Narcissa. There was something in her eyes though, that he couldn't resist. It shocked him, but he couldn't let go. He thought he should pull away but he wanted this moment to last forever.

He had never felt emotions like these before. What was making them arise all of a sudden? It would probably remain a mystery, and he was okay with that. He liked being emotionless; cold. He wanted this moment to end, but at the same time he didn't. All of a sudden she let go and pierced him with those eyes again. She looked at him and every emotion appeared in them; anger, sadness, hatred, fear. Then she walked off.

'What was that about?' He thought. He wasn't sure if the thought was directed towards his attitude or Narcissa's. He was just glad that the moment was over.

* * *

**_Hermione_**

Without warning Lucius pulled her into a hug. His touch made her skin crawl. She wanted him to let go, but found it almost impossible to resist. It felt as if they stood there for years, but in reality it was probably only a few seconds. '_Oh god, I'm still changing back! I need to get out of here._...' Hermione thought frantically.

She pulled away from Lucius gave him a look of contempt; or so she hoped. She turned around and walked briskly, albeit calmly, away from him. Once she turned the corner she ran for dear life; her shoes clicking with every step. Why in the world did she choose heels to wear? She mentally berated herself for her poor judgment as she ran pell-mell down the long hallway.

She glanced down and noticed her perfectly straight blonde hair becoming brown and fizzy once more. Her heart was pounding in her chest and it felt as if it would explode at any time. '_Damn these hallways. Who the hell would want so many rooms in one house for three people?'_ she thought. All the hallways looked the same. They were all the same length, all the same amount of doors, the same amount of candles, and at the end of every hallway, you had to make a choice whether to go through the door, or turn the corner. How was she supposed to find her way?

She arrived in the foyer just her transformation completed itself. At least she was nearly out. She rushed up to the monstrous doors and pushed them open with all her might; relief rushing through her veins. A second later, it all came crashing down.

Standing in front of her, with about twenty other hooded people, was Voldemort. His red eyes caused a shiver of utter panic and terror to run up her spine.

"Well, well, well, what have we here?" He said softly.

It was over. He was going to kill her; she was as good as dead. He was here. Blocking the way to her escape. She could feel the wind, even smell the fresh grass. She knew this would be her last chance to enjoy it. Thirty feet, that was the only thing between her and her escape. But she knew she wouldn't get that far...


	3. Chapter 3  A Lonely Tomorrow

_**I Can't Say Goodbye.**_

_**Chapter 3. A Lonely Tomorrow.**_

"_You ask me how he was before he was sentenced to Azkaban two years ago? Well, Lucius Malfoy was very well respected. He had his share of enemies, but for the most part people liked him. He donated to many charities, it was almost insane for just one family. It was impossible not to respect him. I haven't seen him since '96 but god knows what he's doing now. After hearing all this new news about him though, may he be condemned to Hell."_

_**War does not determine who is right – only who is left. ~ Bertrand Russell**_

Hermione stared at Voldemort while her heart beat madly in her chest. She had heard many stories from Harry about how truly frightening he was. Of course she'd believed him; but she could never experience and completely understand where he was coming from. Not until now. Words could not describe how she felt. It wasn't just that there was a mass murderer in front of her, well that was a big part of it, but the presence he had. It was like none other. No matter how much she wanted to move, reach for her wand, even breath, she just couldn't. '_Oh God! Ron and Harry are still in the house!_' Hermione thought suddenly.

She was done for, she knew it, she accepted it; embraced it even. At least it would give time for Ron and Harry to escape and they could win this war. Of course she didn't want to die, not this early. But she knew this war was bigger than her, and she had played her part. She thought about how she probably won't live to see tomorrow, but if she did, it wouldn't be pretty.

She shifted her eyes up towards the sky and saw a figure flying away from the house but then it looked back and paused. _'Ron...Harry...go...Don't worry about me. Please please please don't turn around for me.'_ As if hearing her thoughts the figure flew away.

Her heart was torn, but she knew they would be safe. The Death Eaters and _him_ were too distracted by her standing there in the doorway to the Malfoy's house.

"My Lord, what shall we do with this girl?" One of the hooded figures asked, and it snapped Hermione out of her trance.

"Well Dolohov," _'Dolohov...he was one of the people who escaped from Azkaban...' _"I am feeling exceptionally nice today. I guess we can keep her alive, for now. She can be..._entertainment_ for us." Voldemort stated with a menacing smile. His red _eyes_ bored into Hermione's, as if he was looking into her soul.

Before she knew it there were two Death Eaters grabbed her arms and another Death Eater moved to stand in front of her. She was barely able to register anything else before the spell hit her.

"_Stupify!" _

Then the darkness came, and she was still.

* * *

Hermione woke up what seemed like hours later. She tried to sit up but searing pain shot up her spine. She felt back with a shuddering gasp, eyes darting wildly about. Where was she? The ground was cold and hard beneath her. She figured that she was lying on concrete.. The room she was in was completely dark and barren except for a small candle in the corner. _'Why in the world would they even give me a candle?'_ She thought.

She looked up at the ceiling, which was maybe at the most ten feet high. There was a small window up at the top of the room on the farthest wall away from her. It was dark outside, apparently she'd been unconscious for a while.

She attempted to sit up again, but the pain was still too great. '_What did they do to me..'_

She moved her hands, surprised that the movement didn't hurt. Thick warm liquid seemed to be all around her, '_Blood? Am I bleeding? I must be. But where is it coming from? If only I could at least sit up.' _She thought while attempting to sit up again and failing miserably.

A soft whimper suddenly sounded through the room. Hermione froze; was someone in the room with her? She wasn't sure, maybe her mind was playing tricks on her. But then she heard it again, louder this time. _'Someone has to be here. That couldn't have just been my imagination.' _

"Is anyone there?" She asked her voice raspy and soft. It felt weird to talk even though she has only been silent for a few hours.

"Hermione?" She heard the voice say back.

"Oh my, Ginny. Ginny you're alive, that's great." She said slowly, as it took her awhile to process her words.

"I'm so glad to see you, I mean I wish it was under better circumstances...but still," Ginny said as she stood up and came out of the shadows.

"My god Hermione, you look absolutely dreadful. What did they do to you?" She asked in horror.

Ginny looked down at Hermione and hardly recognized her. Her leg was twisted in an extremely unnatural position, bent to the point where her bone jutted out from under her skin. She was lying haphazardly-as if her spine was twisted. Her wrist was bent back so her fingers stuck up; they appeared dislocated. She had many scratches on her face and two black eyes to match. She also had a big gash in her head that seemed to still be dripping blood. Ginny turned away, closed her eyes, and took a deep shuddering breath.

"Yeah I feel as if I got hit by a train." Hermione commented.

"I at least need to reset your leg. I don't think you want to see it though." Ginny said in tight voice as she walked over. She would have to do it before they came back for her. It was for her own good.

"Um...How do you reset a bone?" Ginny asked kneeling beside Hermione's bloody leg.

Hermione reluctantly smiled at that, even though the situation was horrible. Everyone depended on magic for everything, they had no reason to learn to do anything by hand. But with her growing up as a Muggle, she knew basic first aid.

"You have to set the bone? How bad is it? My god, well where is the bone?" she asked.

"It's near your knee. So I guess your shin bone?"

"You mean the tibia?" Hermione corrected her.

"Even in a situation like this, you just have to correct me on something as simple as what a bone is called?" Ginny chuckled.

"Well, old habits die hard I guess. Okay place one hand on my thigh, and your forearm on the bone, push down as hard as you can. Now, as much as I don't want it to, it will hurt, but you need to continue no matter what until it's back in place..."

"Oh...wow. Okay, I can do this." Ginny mumbled. She did as Hermione said and placed her hand on her thigh, and then on the bone. She wasn't sure if she could do this right, but she had to try. She knew what these people were capable of and she needed to get Hermione as healthy as she could.

She then started to push the bone down into place and Hermione let out a whimper of pain which lead to a cry, which then turned into a scream of agony. "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry..."Ginny kept repeating. She felt horrible putting Hermione through all of this.

After what seemed like an eternity to Hermione, Ginny was finally done. Once it was over there was a lingering pain but it wasn't too bad. She lay still breathing heavily while her heart thumped almost painfully against her ribs.

"This is just unexpected and random," Ginny spoke up. She grasped Hermione's hand in hers. "Why are you here? How did you get captured?" Hermione thought for a minute. She couldn't tell Ginny it was for her. She wasn't sure how she would react, and she just couldn't put that burden on her.

"Um, well the Death Eaters infiltrated the Burrow... I'm pretty sure you can guess the rest."

"They did what!" Ginny shrieked, "What if they caught other people as well? What if they have mum and dad? Did you see anyone else?" Hermione could have kicked herself. _'Now Ginny is going to be worried sick about something that didn't even happen. Great.'_

"No Ginny its fine. I was the only one captured, the rest escaped. I stayed back to try and fend off some of the Death Eaters because I thought I could handle them...despite people trying to get me to leave. But I saw your family and Harry leave. It's alright."

"How could you be so dense? You really thought you could handle them? Have you seen what these people can do? Hermione...ugh," Ginny stood up and rolled her eyes. She knew Hermione was the smartest witch of her age, so for some reason she couldn't quite believe her story. Hermione knew she couldn't handle even one Death Eater, let alone several. But then again what reason would there be for her to lie? Even so, Ginny wasn't sure if she would ever see get out of here alive, and now with a friendly face here, she couldn't let suspicions ruin anything she had left.

Hermione turned her head towards the cellar door; she heard footsteps coming. Ginny sat as still as a statue and squeezed Hermione's hand even harder. She knew what they were coming for, and all she wanted to do was to disappear. At that moment the cellar door swung open, revealing a hooded figure.

"You. Up." It was a man who spoke and he was directing the command to Ginny who still sat in her spot. "Don't make me have to tell you again. Get over here now you filthy blood traitor." He didn't even have to yell, and you knew that he meant business.

Ginny slowly got up and walked over to the door. The man grabbed her arm and dragged her upstairs. He shut the door behind him leaving Hermione alone in the room. She thought about what she could do now. She couldn't run away, much less sit up. She was in no condition to go anywhere.

All of a sudden a wave of fatigue washed over her, and all she wanted to do was sleep. She welcomed the darkness, because at least while she was sleeping, her dreams could take her away from her real life nightmare. She awoke sometime later to loud raucous screaming. Ginny's screams. They echoed off the walls and panic washed over her. '_Ginny oh god Ginny. What are they doing? I need to stop them somehow..I need to..'_ She thought as she sat up slowly. Her whole body was in pain but she at least needed to sit up. She finally got to where she was sitting up against the nearest wall. She felt something poking against her thigh and looked down.

Her wand, they'd forgotten her wand. These people were supposed to be smart weren't they? Yet they didn't search her well enough to take it away from her. _'It's probably because they think I'll give them some sort of disease if they touched me.'_ She thought. These people thought anything lower than pure-bloods were unfit to walk the earth. They probably didn't even want to touch her so they left her alone. _'Fools.'_

"Episkey." She mumbled while she pointed the wand at her wrist, her back, her eyes, then her head. She was pleased to note that most of the wounds healed alright; only the soreness remained.

She heard footsteps coming down the hallway up to the door again. She quickly tucked her wand back into her jacket and paused. The door opened with a bang and in came yet another hooded figure, but this time he wasn't wearing a mask. His blonde hair came out from underneath his hood.

_Lucius Malfoy._

He was carrying a plate that looked as if it had a small piece of moldy bread on it, and a small glass of water.

"Here." Was all he said as he stood in the doorway and looked around everywhere else but at her.

"Well...aren't you going to take it? I don't want to stand here any longer than I have to. I could just take this back and you can go hungry and rot down here for all I care." He said.

Hermione attempted to stand up and managed to get herself all the way up thanks to her previous spells, but then she collapsed under her weight. Her leg, she forgot to try to heal her leg. How could be she be so stupid?

"Stupid Mudblood." Lucius mumbled as he let the plate fall to the ground and turned around to leave.

"Hermione..." She stated.

Lucius stopped dead in his tracks and turned around slowly. "Excuse me?" He asked with a hint of annoyance in his voice.

"Hermione. I'm Hermione Granger. Not 'Mudblood'" She said as she tried to stand again.

Even though she was in here, trapped, she wasn't going to let these people get the best of her. She was going to say what was right, no matter where it got her. That's the least she could do. She refused to let these people control her.

"You dare to talk back to me _Mudblood_? You are nothing. You don't deserve to be called by your so called 'name'. There is only one thing that could describe what you are, and that is what I will call you. Talk back to me one more time, and you will wish you had never been born." Lucius said in a deadly voice. He was struggling hard to control his rising anger.

"You're the one who is nothing," Hermione said as she tried to look him straight in his eye's as best as she could, but he kept looking elsewhere. "You are a coward. You can't even look me straight in the eye." Lucius stood there for a moment, turning redder and redder by the second.

"CRUCIO!" He yelled.

Pain shot through Hermione. Pain, a simple four letter word that meant so much. She felt as if she was on fire, with a bunch of needles stabbing into her skin. Acid was flowing through her veins, her blood was boiling, her bones were breaking, then release.

She lay on the floor panting. She had no energy left to move after that. She never would have thought one simple curse could cause so much agony. She lifted herself up and looked up at that man who caused it. He looked stone cold, with no emotion what-so-ever.

She hated this man before, but this situation brought it to a whole new level. He was simply Draco Malfoy's father, just another person who hated Harry. She knew he was a Death Eater, and hated him for that, but she never would have guessed to have something first hand happen to her by him.

He finally was looking down at her and she looked at him in the eye. His eyes, she noticed, looked like eyes from a corpse. They showed nothing. Hermione always believed a person's eyes were a window to their soul and if his were anything to go on; Lucius Malfoy had no soul. She looked away and wiped her wet face. _'I won't cry in front of him. Never again. I won't show any emotion around him. I won't give them what they want.'_

"Filthy Mudblood," he sneered. "You will soon learn your place in this world. Consider yourself lucky that I'm not in charge of what happens to you, for if I were, you would be long dead by now." He strode off after that leaving a defeating silence in his wake. Hermione sat there for what seemed like an eternity. She just stared straight ahead at the door. She thought it was about time Ginny should be back, unless...No. She couldn't let herself think like that. They were going to be fine, and they were going to get out.

She looked over at the glass that was full of water, and the moldy bread. Her throat felt very sore and scratchy from all the screaming and crying. The only thought that came to her mind was that she wanted water. "Accio glass." The glass fly towards her and she caught it deftly. "Aquamenti"

Water filled the glass. Thank god for her wand, she thought. She gulped down the cold, icy liquid and refilled it again. She did this for a few more times and then finally set the glass down beside her.

She let the bread stay where it was at, for she had no appetite to speak of, and even if she did, mouldy bread was the last thing she would want.

After awhile, she decided she would try to stand up and walk. "Episkey." She mumbled as she pointed her wand at her leg. It healed a little, but not enough to where she thought it was suitable.

She pushed against the cold wall to lift her up, but winced at the pain in her leg and back. She got herself to stand all the way up and then she started to walk. She limped along almost tempted to hop on one leg.

She walked over to the wall with the small window. Even though the walls weren't tall, she still couldn't see out of it. She couldn't jump to try to see out of it, so she just turned around and started to walk over towards the candle, when she heard a set of footsteps in the hallway outside the cellar.

Something compelled her to walk over to the door, and even though she fumbled a lot along the way, she persisted.

She reached the door and almost collapsing against it, weary from her exertions. She noticed a tiny peep hole that was a little taller than her normal range of sight. She stood on her toes and attempted to look out. She could see that there was actually a long hallway outside the door. It looked nothing like upstairs. It was all made of cobblestone, and had torches along the walls. It reminded her of those dungeons she had seen in old muggle horror movies. It looked though as if the cell she was in was the only room on this floor though.

She saw about three blurry figures walking down the hallway, with one dragging a body. '_Ginny...' _Hermione said as she frowned. She couldn't tell what exactly was wrong at the moment, but they were clearly walking towards the cell, so she would see in a few moments. Quickly she backed off of the door and fell backwards by accident. She just sat there as the figures slammed the door open and threw what looked like an over-sized Raggedy Ann doll inside. Ginny looked horrible. Hermione had no time to really examine her though before one of the Death Eaters were yelling curses.

"Imperio!" one of them yelled at they pointed their wand at Hermione. Instantly Hermione felt a rush of relaxation come over her. All her worries and anxiety vanished. She was barely aware that she was walking out of the cell, following the Death Eaters. She had no idea where they were taking her, but she didn't care. All she knew at this moment was that she was happy. Everything seemed surreal, like a dream.

They walked and walked. It seemed as if the hallway went on forever. Hermione would have loved-in the state she was feeling-just to walk and walk and not have to return to reality. After awhile they reached a staircase that went up in a spiral. They went up and up. _'Is everything in this house never-ending? How big is it in here anyway?' _She thought. When she was running down the hallways a few hours earlier, they all looked the same and it seemed to never end. Now the hallway and staircase seemed to go on just as long.

After what seemed like an hour they reached the top of the stairs and walked into a big empty room. It reminded Hermione of the room she was in earlier when she ran into Bellatrix, except the chair was gone, and the fire was out. Hermione normally would be scared out of her wits, but under this curse it seemed like nothing. She didn't have to think for herself, or do anything, and again, she was actually happy for once.

What was so bad about this curse? She knew it was illegal, and could see why, but then again anyone who was put under it was in the most relaxed state they would ever be in. Who wouldn't want that?

They walked into the room and Hermione noticed they were the only ones in there. She expected to find more people, but maybe she was wrong.

All of a sudden it felt like a weight fell on her, and she fell to the ground. All the anxiety and depression settled back in. She guessed the curse was lifted. She was sitting in the middle of the room surrounded by at the most four other people.

None of them had their masks on, which to her, was a bad sign. Why would they show their faces? _'They know I'm not going to get out of here.'_ She, sadly, recognized all of the adults surrounding her. Malfoy, Rodolphus Lestrange, Antonin Dolohov, and Bellatrix formed a circle around her, with Bellatrix being the closest.

"Well, well, well," Bellatrix cooed as she began to waltz around Hermione. "Look what we have here. Such a sweet little...Mudblood. Now what were you doing all the way out here?" She asked in falsetto.

Hermione earlier decided she wasn't going to give these people what they want. She was never going to tell them anything. They could torture her, use spells on her, do whatever they wanted, but she refused to talk.

"So you are deciding to be silent aye? Don't think you are the first to give us the silent treatment. We have our ways, and we will have you talking in no time. Don't you fret. Us girls, you know, will become very close before we kill you." Bellatrix purposely emphasized every word in the last sentence.

Of course her words didn't surprise Hermione, but to hear them out loud, was a whole different story.

She continued to stare at the ground, trying not to meet the gaze of any of the onlookers. She did notice they looked farther away from her than where they were to begin with.

"Still not saying anything? I'll give you one more chance. Why, missy, were you here in a home, that you have no business being in?"

_'Like I would tell you,' _Hermione thought. "I guess I just got lost." She replied arrogantly, as she looked up at the angry Bellatrix. It seemed all the color had rushed from her face, but just a moment later, her face turned as red as a tomato. Her eyes widened and then, "CRUCIO!"

Needles, acid, red hot irons, knives, fire, ice, anything and everything associated with pain shot through Hermione. She writhed on the floor and screamed out in pain. Tears immediately stung her eyes and face.

It seemed like forever until Bellatrix finally lifted the curse. Bellatrix was laughing hysterically when she stopped. "Now, do you feel up to talking now Mudblood?" She yelled across the room.

_'Damn, tears. I said I wouldn't cry, but this is too much. But, I can't. I just can't tell them anything. But then again, what would hurt if I...lied?'_

"Still nothing?" Bellatrix tilted her head some as she asked, as if she actually cared about the answer.

"I-" Hermione started to say before she was interrupted.

"Crucio!" Immense pain once again shot through Hermione, and it all started all over again. Her bones were breaking, her skin was being shred into pieces, she was being punched over and over, and then after forever, it stopped. Only this time Bellatrix wasn't laughing, or looking like she was taking any enjoyment from this. "Take that thing back to her cell now! I don't want her in my sight. And Lucius, I want to have a word with you, alone." She said as she glanced over at the other two that were standing against the wall. Bellatrix looked furious about something. Hermione almost wanted to know what caused the sudden change in attitude, but at the same time she was just hoping to God it wasn't directed towards her.

Before she knew it, she was being dragged back down the stairs. She wasn't put under the Imperius curse this time, but the two men were dragging her so hard, she could barely get balance to walk. Her feet were dragging on the ground and she kept tripping over everything.

They reached the stairs and started to descend. They kept on pulling her down and she kept on falling on her knees because she couldn't get her balance. They would pull her back up and keep on going down. Finally they reached the bottom and walked down the long, stone hallway towards her cell.

They reached the door and it opened automatically.

"See you in a little bit, sweetheart." One of them said. She turned her head to see who said it, but they already threw her inside and shut the door before she could get a closer look.

She had seen many Death Eaters before, but had no idea what they sounded like. It was weird for Hermione to think that she didn't know something. She didn't know everything, she knew that, but yet it bugged her when she couldn't figure something out.

She pushed herself up and saw Ginny curled up, and in the same spot they left her in when they returned her to their cell. Hermione dragged herself as best as she could over to her. "Ginny? Are you alright?"

No response.

"Ginny?" Hermione shook Ginny a little bit, to at least get a little reaction out of her. Ginny rolled over very lazily, and stayed on her back. She looked as if she were dead. There were big gashes all over her body, and there was blood coming from her eyes. Both of her wrists seemed to be broken and her fingers were going in all sorts of directions. Her ankle was all the way against her calf, and both bones in one of her legs looked broken. She was a bigger mess that Hermione had been.

"Hermione..." Ginny could barely get her name out. "I can't see you..." she mumbled.

_'Oh god, she's dying.'_ "Ginny, hold on, I'm here. I can fix this." Hermione blurted out in a rush of panic. The only healing spell she knew was Episkey, but then again that only healed minor injuries. It could never heal all of Ginny's. But what did they have to lose if she tried? She pulled out her wand and pointed it at one of Ginny's fingers. "Episkey," The finger seemed to straighten out and looked somewhat normal. She continued to do this with about three other fingers until a thought came to her.

_'They have to know what they did. They will know that her fingers healed. They will search us even more. I'll lose my wand, and the only sliver of hope we have.' _

She left the four fingers she healed, and pointed the wand around Ginny's eyes. "Episkey," At least Ginny would be able to see, hopefully. With her wounds healed up and Ginny seemed to move her eyes more.

"Can you see?" Hermione asked softly.

"Barely," Ginny whispered. "But pain, there's so much pain." Ginny's eyes shut and a tear trickled down the side of her face.

"I know it hurts," Hermione said gently. "But I can't heal you. They will know I have my wand and we won't get out of here. I am so sorry Ginny. I want to help you more than anything. I really hope you can forgive me."

"Hermione, I'll be o-," Ginny trailed off at the end of her sentence. She closed her eyes and her breathing became shallow. Hermione wasn't sure if she was sleeping, or if she had, well, she couldn't think it. Tears began to roll down her cheeks and it took all of her restraint to not howl in anger. This should never have happened. Ginny didn't deserve to die, she hadn't done anything wrong. Gently Hermione picked up Ginny's wrist and cradled the broken bone in her hands. "Ginny..." she choked. "Please don't die...".

* * *

**_Lucius_****  
**

Screams filled his ears. Lately that was the only sound he'd been hearing from people. But this girl was different. He had _killed _kids younger than her, and yet, a tight feeling came into his chest when he saw her on the floor screaming.

You know what people say about car accidents and train wrecks right? How it's so horrible, but you can't seem to pull your eyes away from it? That's exactly how Lucius was feeling at this moment. He had tortured people before and enjoyed every minute of it, but this sight was almost too much for some reason. It was so horrible, but there was something compelling him to keep watching.

He hated this girl, this Mudblood. She was less than the dirt on his shoe, and he knew she was nothing. Plus she was Harry Potter's friend; His worst enemy. Everything about her he hated.

So then why did he feel like this when he saw Bella torture her?

He started to think of when he first saw the girl at the Manor.

_He though he saw the girl's eyes land on him for a split second, and then she looked away. He could have been seeing things. It wouldn't be the first time he thought he saw something. When he had gone to give her the food and water, she had stared at him, almost examining him; He hated it. He felt like as if she was trying to read him, but she's was fool. He didn't show any emotion, nothing at all on the outside._

_He particularly liked that about himself. Nobody could tell how he was feeling, and that got him far with the things he had done in the past. Anyways, she stared at him and he tried as best as he could to look everywhere else but her. He would glance by accident though a few times. She was ugly; The ugliest thing he has ever seen in his life. But her eyes, he could easily get lost in them._

_'Those eyes. Narcissa had those eyes earlier. Maybe it was her, but that would be impossible. What is wrong with me? Since when have I ever cared about eyes? Or anything to do with beauty for that matter?'_

_Lucius realized that he was just standing stupidly in the doorway so he sneered at her and shook the plate in his hand a little. "Here," He wasn't going to waste his breath on talking to her. He would die first before he really talked to her. But all she just stared at him. 'Damn those eyes. I can't just walk in and give it to her. She's disgusting, but I can't seem to do anything when she's looking at me like that. Just get your damn food so I can leave.' "Well aren't you going to take it? I don't want to stand here any longer than I have to. I could just take this back and you can go hungry and rot down here for all I care." It was all true. He didn't give a damn about this Mudblood. But then why did his words seem so forced?_

_He looked down at the girl trying to get herself to stand up. It was quite pathetic really, she couldn't even stand up on her own. After she got herself almost all the way up, she collapsed and fell. "Stupid Mudblood." He jeered and rolled his eyes. If he or any Death Eater needed reminding on why they were wanting to rid the world of people like her, well, she is a perfect person to go to. She really wanted to make him kill her and every other Mudblood and muggle on this Earth._

_He just dropped the plate and figured if she really wanted to live, she would get the bread, and maybe he would be back with water. They hadn't received orders to keep her alive, so they could do basically as they pleased at the moment. He turned to leave until he heard the thing speak._

_"Hermione..." He heard her say. Why was she telling him her name? He wasn't stupid nor ignorant, so why? She must be insulting him._

_"Excuse me?" He stopped and turned around._

_"Hermione, I'm Hermione Granger. Not Mudblood." He noticed she tried to stand again, unsuccessfully. Pathetic fool... "You dare you talk back to me Mudblood? You are nothing. You don't deserve to be called by your so called 'name'. There is only one thing that could describe what you are, and that is what I will call you. Talk back to be one more time, and you will wish you had never been born." Lucius was beyond furious now. There possibly was never a word defined that could describe how he felt at this moment. A Mudblood had the audacity to talk back to him. The nerve..._

_"You're the one who is nothing." The girl spat back. She stared at him again as he tried to avoid meeting her gaze. "You are a coward. You can't even look me straight in the eye." Lucius stood there for a moment, angrier than ever._

_"Crucio!" Before he knew it he had yelled the unforgivable curse and it felt too good. He meant it more now than he ever had. Her screams fuelled him. He stopped the curse and saw she had been crying. Lucius had never seen a person bear the pain of the cruciatous curse and not cry. He was still looking forward to the day when he could witness that._

_He finally released her from the curse. She pulled herself up and looked at him. Lucius couldn't resist; He stared back. Her eyes seemed like pools of chocolate, and they made him almost...happy. Lucius never felt deeply happy; He didn't even know what the true emotion felt like._

_Now, looking at her eyes, he felt a rush of guilt. He tried his best to still look stiff and emotionless. It looked like it was working with the way she was looking at him; With pure hatred. He welcomed that. Hatred was all he had ever felt in his life. It was the one emotion he could really count on. "Filthy Mudblood. You will soon learn your place in this world. Consider yourself lucky I'm not in charge of what happens to you, for if I were, you would be long dead by now." He sneered. His words weren't what he felt inside, but he wasn't going to let simple emotions like guilt get to him, for it never has, and it ever will. He looked at her one last time and left._

Ever since then, he has been beating himself up trying to figure out why he was acting the way he was around her. He was sure he still hated her, so then, what else was there?

After awhile Bella wanted to meet with her, since, for now, she was the one who was put in charge of the filthy Mudblood.

So now here they were, watching her torture this girl. He normally would be happy but now he just felt stressed and anxious about something he couldn't place, but he knew it had to do with this girl.

He watched the scene unfold before him, and Bella torturing her more and more, as she tried to get information. At last he couldn't take it. "Bella, it's obvious why she was here. Just put her back in her cell and stop doing this." Bellatrix didn't stop the curse, but she slowly looked over to Lucius.

She looked crazy. He wasn't sure if it was directed toward him, or if it was still from her dealing with the Mudblood.

After a few seconds the girls screams stopped and she lay still, tears streaming down her face.

The sight made Lucius sick. He looked back up at Bella when she ordered the other Death Eaters to take the girl back down to her cell, and she declared that she wanted to talk to him.

_'Oh no,' _he thought. He had known Bella for most of his life, and the way she was acting now meant a storm was coming. Dolohov and Rodolphus left with the girl and he was left standing alone in the room with Bella. Usually he wouldn't be bothered by it, and he would have his usual condescending smirk on his face as Bella would yell at him for something. But this time he knew he was acting strange, and even he didn't know why, how could he explain it to her?

"Lucius,"

"Bella," He replied as he tried to put on a false front. He wasn't in the mood for one of her talks, so he tried to look as normal and serious as he could.

"What was that all about? Why did you want to stop me, hmm?" She raised an eyebrow.

"I just think it is pointless to be torturing her to get information that you and I both know."

"That has never stopped you before... Hmm, could it be that you are..._attracted_ to that Mudblood perhaps?" The though immediately repulsed him. He was speechless. She thought that? How could she even think that ridiculous concept could be true?

"Oh lord, Bella, really? Are you honestly implying that I would want _that _when I have someone as wonderful as Narcissa? And that girl is less than half of my age and is a Mudblood none the less. That is repulsive!" Lucius rambled. Bella just raised an eyebrow and turned around to walk away.

"Whatever you say, Lucius," Bella carolled. "Just be careful; You wouldn't want anyone else finding out about this."

"Bellatrix..." Lucius shook his head.

"All I'm saying is be careful. You aren't exactly hiding the look you have when she's around. You are a Death Eater and pure blood, you can't waste your time on that. But even more important than that, you are married to my sister, and don't think I will hesitate to end everything for you right then and there, if I find out you are cheating on her, and with a filthy Mudblood at that." And with that she walked out of the room, leaving Lucius standing there in absolute shock.

He started to walk, not really paying attention to where he was going, expecting to just walk around the house. When he finally realized where his feet had taken him, he was standing outside _her_ cell.

He pushed open the door to see the most pathetic sight ever, but it didn't stop him. He didn't look at her as he spoke, but he was going to make sure to get his point across.

"We need to take care of something." Was all he said as the door closed, leaving the two of them alone.


	4. Chapter 4 Irresistible Coercion

**I Can't Say Goodbye.**

**Chapter 4. Irresistible Coercion**

"_During the war more and more people just simply disappeared. After awhile it became a regular occurrence, so we all just stopped caring. Whether they killed people, or kidnapped them, eventually people stopped looking for the victims. We all thought Voldemort was going to win. Most of us gave up and gave them what they wanted."_

_**By plucking her petals, you do not gather the beauty of the flower. ~ Rabindrath Tagore**_

* * *

"What are you?" Was all Lucius said as he stared down at the crying girl.

"What?" Hermione looked up at Lucius, confused. He was the one keeping her here, he was the one who tortured her and watched her be tortured, he was the one who probably hated her more than anything, so what on earth was he asking her a question like that for?

"I said; what. Are. You," Lucius was turning redder by the moment.

_'Who knew, me just being alive could anger someone so much. I'm doomed already, may as well have some fun until the end._' Hermione thought as she contemplated her answer. "Well I'm a girl obviously. Let's see, I'm also a muggle-born, I'm Harry Potter's best friend, I'm someone you hate, I guess I'm also-"

"That's not what I meant you ignorant little Mudblood!" Lucius shouted, unable to help himself. He stepped back and took a deep breath. He couldn't let this girl get him worked up. She's nothing. _Nothing,_ He told himself.

"Well to be honest, I don't quite understand your question." Hermione tried to sound sweet, even in the current circumstances. She was certainly not going to give in to these people-as she had decided before-but she was going to try to not piss them off anymore than she had to.

Lucius sighed and rubbed his forehead with his hand. He didn't want to tell her what he meant, because even he didn't quite know how he wanted her to answer. Seconds passed and the silence aggravated him. He had only seen this girl three times total, and he was already losing the presence he usually had around people, especially his enemies. "I can't believe I'm even here talking to a Mudblood." Lucius said as he turned around, not really directing it at her.

Hermione tried her best to ignore his comment. "What do you want? If you don't mind, I really am not in the mood to deal with you." Lucius turned around, looked down and saw her and Ginny. To be honest, he didn't even notice Ginny was there until now. He didn't care what happened to her, and as far as he could tell, she could be dead. They did torture her enough; it was possible that she was.

"Is she dead?" He said looking down at the broken, bleeding girl before him.

"And why the hell do you care?" Hermione yelled at him. "You did this to her! Are you just going to stand there or do you actually have a purpose on why you're here?"

Lucius raised his wand, "Crucio!" Hermione instantly fell to the floor screaming in pain. "Stupid Mudblood! I'll teach you to back talk to me!" Lucius yelled over her screams; his hand showed no sign of stopping the curse. Minutes passed, all filled with screaming and agony. He looked down and finally stopped the curse. A small smile crept across his face. Maybe he wasn't losing his touch, he thought.

Hermione lay there coughing, and almost choking on her own breath.

"I will ask you one more time. What are you?" Lucius said in a calm voice.

"I don't know what you want..." She said as she stared at the ground beneath her, not having the strength to get up.

"I mean," He paused. "Are you some sort of Veela, or something? Or are you incredibly conceited to the point that you cast some sort of spell on yourself in some way? I just." He stopped. This wasn't like him. He kept on talking to one of the people he hated the most. Why was he even here? Couldn't he just ignore her?

Hermione sat there dumbfounded. Was he saying she was pretty? She wondered. She wanted him to continue, but it seemed he wouldn't.

"I hate you-," He started again when Hermione interrupted him.

"Yes I think we made that clear." Lucius' nostrils flared as he took in a deep breath, to insure he wouldn't lose to his temper again.

"I loathe you, but for some reason you..." He stopped again. He couldn't do this, he knew it. He glared at Hermione one more time, then turned around and left the cell.

_'I what? He couldn't find me attractive could he? No. He wouldn't, and he's old enough to be my dad! That's sick. That's not it. But still, I wonder where he was going with that...'_

* * *

_**Lucius**_

Lucius must have walked around the house for hours in search for Bellatrix. He needed to get that Mudblood out of here. He wasn't even in charge of that thing for goodness sakes. Why couldn't Bella keep her at her house? The complexity of women; Lucius would never understand. _'Maybe Narcissa knows where she is. Her and Draco must have come home by now. She is her sister, maybe they have some weird sister telepathy thing going. Oh lord. I must be going insane.'_ He turned the corner and stopped in front of two big oak doors. _'Hopefully she's in here.' _

He opened the doors which lead into their bedroom and walked in. The room was huge. It had at least a dozen candles evenly placed around the room, and two on a desk that sat on the right side of the room, right beside a huge, elaborate fireplace. On the other side of the room was another door that lead into the master bath. On the wall opposite the doors was a big, black, four poster canopy bed.

He walked slowly over to the bed and saw his wife sleeping. Her long, blonde hair fanned out around her. The curtains on the windows beside their bed were open just a crack, but the light shone in and landed on her face, giving her an angelic glow. She was truly beautiful.

With him looking at this sight, for the first time in his life, he felt almost guilty. He hadn't done anything, but he felt like he was cheating on her, because she wasn't the one in his thoughts all the time; it was that Mudblood. He stood there for a few moments watching Narcissa sleep calmly. He couldn't wake her.

He sighed and got up. He went over to the curtains and pulled them shut, trying to keep the light from shining on her face. It made him feel all too guilty looking at her. To think that he, out of all the people; had her, when he didn't deserve her one bit. He wasn't sure if he _loved_ her, but then again, they have been together for over twenty years, and they had a son. Through that time they had developed a connection, not love, but a connection. He liked it though. Love only got in the way of things, and it was always best to avoid it altogether.

He looked back at her one last time and walked out of the room, shutting the door behind him. He started to walk down the hallway, almost forgetting what his original intention was. He turned the corner and ran into Bellatrix, who too seemed to be walking around aimlessly.

"Oh you, just the person I wanted to see." Lucius said with a smile.

"Oh, really?" she purred. "Well to what do I owe the pleasure?"

"Now don't be smart Bella. I wanted to know why you and Rodolphus can't take the filthy Mudblood so she isn't in my house, tainting everything she touches. The Dark Lord gave her to you as your responsibility, you take her to your house."

"And you really think I want that girl in my house? Don't be silly, as you said she has already tainted your home, why should she leave? Plus you get to see me a lot more." Bellatrix said with a grin. She possessed annoyingly high self-confidence, and a narcissistic attitude.

"Bella, just take her. We don't want her here. Plus the Dark Lord said he wanted you to get information out of her. He thought you were the perfect person to do it, so I still don't understand why she's here. She has no purpose."

"You know, I'll think about it. But I'll tell you what. Break her down some. Crush that annoying Gryffindor ego of hers, make her into practically nothing, and then maybe I'll take her. But until then, she's your problem." She started laughing. Lucius was going to say something back but as soon as she finished talking, she disappeared, but her laughter lingered. _'I will never understand that woman's thought process.'_

He thought about her words though as he walked down to the cell the Mudblood was staying in. He just wanted her out, and if he broke her down, then the faster she would be gone. He had the perfect way to tear her apart in just hours, and maybe it would help him release some of this built up tension he had when he looked at her.

When he looked at her, especially in her eyes, he was someone different. He didn't know what it was, or why it happened, but it needed to stop. By doing this to her, maybe it could stop it. His smile grew as he was only a few feet away from the cellar. He couldn't wait to destroy her.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

It had been only a couple hours since Lucius had left, leaving Hermione alone with her thoughts. She hadn't moved from her position; not even an inch. She just sat there holding Ginny's hand, whose breathing had been more regular and deep, which she figured was a good sign.

She couldn't handle to lose Ginny now, especially since she was positive they were going to be saved by the order soon.

"Just hang in there, Ginny." She had been saying encouraging words for about an hour now, ever since Ginny showed signs of improvement.

"Hermione..." Ginny started to say, but it seemed to take her breath away.

"Ginny, I'm here. It will be okay."

"W-we...are going to get...out of here...right?"

"Yes, the Order knows we are here. They could be here anytime. Just hang on. We'll make it." Hermione brushed Ginny's hair behind her ear, like how a mother would for her child. She saw a tear land on Ginny's cheek and roll down. She lifted her hand to her face and was surprised to find moisture there. She hadn't realized that she was crying. She wasn't sure if they were tears of relief, fear, sadness, or maybe a mixture of all of them.

She was so focused on Ginny, she didn't hear the footsteps coming down the hallway, or when the person was right outside the door. The cell door burst open with a bang and Lucius stood in the doorway. He looked different from earlier. He was more fierce, almost business-like.

"So she's alive?" Was all he asked, without moving. The question took Hermione by surprise. She expected him to throw insults, or curses of some sort. But to ask that, it was odd.

"Why should I tell you?" Hermione shot back.

"If you want to live, you will tell me. Sounds fair right, Mudblood? All you have to do, is answer my questions correctly, and you can live. But if one word comes out of your mouth, that doesn't involve an answer, I won't hesitate to just kill you and your little friend." His voice sounded very smooth and quiet, it was almost comforting. His words were horrid, but the way he said them, made him look like he was on her side. She wasn't dumb, so of course she didn't believe his tone, but yet...

"Is that clear Mudblood?"

Hermione didn't want to say anything. She just glared.

"I said is that clear?" Pain shot through Hermione's stomach and up her back. It made sick, and she threw up all the water she had drank earlier that day. "I can, and will, do worse. But you can avoid it. Just do as I say." Hermione spit to get the taste of vomit out of her mouth. "So will you comply?"

"Fine," Hermione mumbled. She figured the questions weren't going to be life-threatening, so what was the harm in answering some of them. They surprisingly knew a lot about her, so what else could they possibly want?

"Excellent," Lucius said in a low voice. "Now, as I asked before, is the blood-traitor still alive?"

"Yes."

"Good." He smirked.

_'Why is he smirking?' _Hermione wondered.

"And how are you?" Lucius asked delicately raising a pale blond eyebrow.

"How am I?" '_Why is he asking that? Why does he even care?' _

"Did I stutter? I asked how you are."

"Wow, well I wonder. I'm locked up as a prisoner by the one person I hate, one of my friends is dying right before my eyes, I'm in pain, I'm hungry, I'm tired, and well frankly I could be better." Hermione was almost yelling by the time she finished her sentence.

"Good." Lucius was getting what he wanted. Before he tore down her ego, he had to see how proud she was. He almost liked her feistiness. Most of the prisoners he had, had immediately been crushed, and had no fight in them. It seemed he had quite a job to do, and he decided to enjoy every moment of it.

He moved a little bit closer to where Hermione was sitting. "So how close are you to the Weasley family, especially this little blood-traitor?" He said motioning to Ginny.

_'What is with these questions?' _"And why do you care about my personal life?" Hermione furrowed her brow. Lucius lifted his wand up and continued to smile. All of a sudden Hermione felt an invisible force grab her arm and start twisting. No matter how hard she fought against it, it was stronger.

"Wha-What's happening?" Tears started to well up in her eyes. She could feel her skin and joints stretching beyond their limits.

"Will you stop back-talking and just answer the damn questions? When will you learn your place?" Lucius asked calmly. Hermione looked at her arm in shock; it continued to twist and she felt her bones start to break. A cry of pain escaped her lips. She thought about what he could do with the information if she were to answer him.

"Okay fine, fine!" She yelled, the twisting sensation stopped, but the pain lingered. She looked down to see blood running down her arm, and the bones sticking out of her skin. She noticed her elbow was on the inside of her arm instead of the outside.

Lucius looked down on her with no intention on fixing her arm. "So how close are you with the Weasley family?"

"Not that close, I'm best friends with Harry, and Ron was just there. I was staying there because I knew Harry would be there as well." Lucius stood there in thought for a moment.

"Crucio!" He said as he pointed his wand, not at Hermione, but at Ginny. Ginny hollered out in pain, which was weird in contrast to how she was before. She had looked like a corpse, and now she was moving around and screaming. Hermione collapsed on top of her as if trying to comfort her.

"What are you doing? Stop it! I answered your question!"

"Do you think I'm dumb? I have my sources, and I do in fact have a son your age, who you must have forgotten. You're the smartest witch of your age? Well if that's true, the future of the Wizarding world is doomed. You are such an imbecile. I'm being lenient with you. That thing I just did to your arm? That's nothing compared to more of the dark magic I have learned over the years. Now, Mudblood, tell me the truth." As soon as he finished his rant, Ginny's screams stopped. Hermione didn't move. She was too angry with herself to even say anything. _'Draco, how could I forget about him? Damn.'_

"Okay..." She whispered mainly to herself.

"Okay what? I'm not going to wait much longer." Lucius answered back.

Silence came over the room.

"Well?"

"They are like family." _'What? Why did I just say that? Come on Hermione, you can handle the pain. Ginny can too, she wouldn't want me to tell them anything. She couldn't have told them anything, could she?'_

"See was that so hard?" She looked up to see Lucius standing there with his arms crossed. His face looked happy, but when she looked into his eyes she saw nothing.

"Is that all you wanted?"

"Hmm, well not quite," His smirk grew bigger, into a smile. "It seems, you still need to learn your place in this world. You are nothing but a maggot. You aren't even fit to lick the dirt off my shoes. Petrificus totalus!" He shot at Hermione. She fell on top of Ginny and looked at Lucius as he walked closer to her. He knelt down and placed the tip of his wand on the tip of one of her fingers, on the hand of the arm that was already twisted.

He murmured a few words that Hermione couldn't decipher, but once he was done uttering them, she felt her skin tearing at that finger. The pain went up her hand – finger-to-finger – and then very slowly made its way up her arm. _'What's happening? I have to look. Oh my god! It hurts, so bad. What does he want from me?'_

Her skin peeled away and dissolved, leaving all the muscle, bone, everything exposed. When she felt the pain reach between her elbow and shoulder, it stayed right there.

"Finite Incantatem." Hermione could feel her joints and muscles moving automatically. She looked at her arm and all of her skin was gone. _'Oh my God! My arm!'_ The pain lingered even though the spell wasn't in effect.

"Pain...such a small word with a big definition. With the right techniques, inflicting pain on the right person, can really pay off. Torture is the best form of coercion if I do say so myself. It can really alter one's mind to believe almost anything. So Mudblood-,"Hermione took a deep breath and spoke without thinking.

"I am not a Mudblood. I am just human as you. Your theory is ridiculous, and so inaccurate. May I remind you, Voldemort is a half-blood, so what does that make him? Are you superior to him as well? You are all just a bunch of hypocrites." Lucius face distorted and turned beet red.

"Avada Kedavra!"

Everything happened in slow motion after that. A green stream of light shot from his wand, and came flying across the room. '_No...' _It seemed to be heading toward her, but instead it was aimed 5 inches to the right of her, at Ginny.

"Ginny...no, NOOOOOOOOOOO!" Hermione screamed like a banshee and tears seemingly exploded from her eyes. She watched in horror as the light left Ginny's eyes. "Ginny?" She shook her gently. "Ginny, answer me!" She shook her harder. _'She can't be dead. No, he didn't do that. I had to have heard the curse wrong.' _She thought as she looked down at Ginny with blurred vision. She was gone, and Hermione knew it, but she couldn't accept it.

"That is what you deserve. Your dear friend is gone because you couldn't keep your know-it-all Mudblood mouth shut. Soon enough, you will become nothing, you will want to die, and that _will_ happen. You aren't getting out of here alive. That is the only thing now that you can count on. Mark my words, Filthy scum." With that he turned around and very calmly walked out of the cell.

"Ginny, my god, Ginny...We were going to get out of here, only if I kept my big mouth shut, you wouldn't be..." Hermione sat there crying for hours.

* * *

_**Lucius**_

Lucius kept walking. He didn't know where he was going; he just needed to get as far away from _her_ as possible. Bellatrix surely would take her now, and she would be gone. '_I can't stand to have her here. I don't know what is going on, but I can't do this._'

When he was torturing her, all he could think about was how he could make her feel better. He wanted to comfort her, make her wounds better, but at the same time he knew what he was doing was right. Those thoughts in his head couldn't be his own. She had to have a spell on him, that little slut, trying to get herself out of here. He wouldn't fall for it. He hated her, she hated him. It was as simple as that.

But every time he looked in her eyes, something sparked inside him. He never felt that when he looked at Narcissa, or any woman in his life for that matter. He was always one to love himself and only himself. He had learned the hard way that you couldn't trust anyone but yourself. So with thinking that all his life he thought he was perfect. In any time of doubt, he had his beliefs to fall back on. Mudbloods, muggles, and half-bloods were all abominations to this world. So thinking that, he knew what he had to do, and he knew it was right.

So what made this situation any different? When he saw her eyes once he killed her friend, he thought he would cry just as she did. He had never cried, not even once. He was losing his mind. He needed this girl away from him, so things could turn back to normal, and they can move onto create the new Wizarding world.

But is that what he really wanted?

* * *

_**Hermione**_

In the last hours that passed, she curled up in the corner of the room and cried. This was all her fault, her stupid plan. She had to have done something wrong along the way.

Maybe she was what they called her; a stupid Mudblood.

She was unravelling already. Piece by piece her facade was being chipped away from her and her real weakness was showing.

Maybe it was all a front before? Everything she believed, was it all a lie?

She now began to question even her beliefs. She was the brightest witch of her age, but she always had to work twice as hard. Maybe if she only worked as much as everyone else, she would simply be dumb. Maybe muggle-borns and half-bloods weren't as good as everyone else.

No, she couldn't let herself think like that. Despite her efforts keep such thoughts out of her mind, they still came creeping back. She looked over at Ginny's lifeless and a feeling of self-loathing rose within her. Ginny is gone, and it was all her fault. How could she ever face the Weasley's, how could she face Ron? Initially they had come to rescue Ginny, and now because of her, Ginny was dead.

_Dead. _

She couldn't believe it. They all were supposed to grow up together. Ginny was supposed to graduate from Hogwarts, marry Harry, and have kids. She wasn't supposed to die now, not by the hand of the man Hermione now hated even more than Voldemort; something she hadn't believed to be possible.

After awhile she remembered she had her wand tucked into her now dusty, bloody robes. She pulled it out and walked over to the door. "Alohomora." She heard a little tick, but the door stayed shut. She pushed on the door a little bit. It gave way, but not enough to where she could get out.

She needed to get out of here. She was not going to die here. She felt as if she was going crazy. One moment she would feel hopeless and almost want to die, then the next moment, she was determined to live and get out of here. It's funny how just being left alone with your thoughts in such a short time can actually affect your look on life. "Deprimo!"

She felt a big wave of air shoot out of her wand, causing her to fall back. The door-she noted in pleasure- had been blown off its hinges. Freedom was close. She jumped up and started running as fast as she could. She reached the spiral staircase and stopped, listening for any footsteps. Not that it would help if she ran back to her cell, the door was smashed off.

She started up the stairs and after a few minutes reached the top, and entered the room where she was tortured. There was blood splattered across the floor and even up on the wall. _'These people are so sick...'_ She continued on, and tried to find her way out. Without shoes on her steps were light and quick. Doors and candles all passed in a blur. Up ahead she heard what seemed like at the most three people talking.

She looked behind her to see how long the hallway was. It was too long, and even if she ran, she would get caught. They would see her and she would probably be killed. What purpose was there for them to have her alive? The voices were getting closer and she decided to go into the nearest room. She quickly opened the door and quietly shut it behind her. She stood there staring at the door and exhaled. She heard them walk past, with no clue she was only inches away. She turned around and fell against the door to the ground. Then she froze...she wasn't alone...

A pair of blue eyes looked at her in bemusement. The woman had long, beautiful, blonde hair flowing down past her shoulders, and it hugged her face perfectly. She had very pale, almost icy looking skin. Her delicate black clothing hugged her curves and cascaded down. Hermione figured she was none other than Narcissa Malfoy.

"You must be the Mudblood." Narcissa said, but in a voice that didn't seem harsh, almost as if she wasn't purposely trying to insult Hermione. She made the word _Mudblood_ sound like just a nickname, nothing else. "What are you doing out of the cellar?" She continued.

Hermione sat there thinking. Narcissa didn't appear to be evil, and she had even left when Ginny was going to be tortured and questioned. She was just a woman caught up in a horrible situation.

"I...Well..." Hermione wanted to say something back, and not just leave her question in the air.

"I should take you back." Narcissa walked forward and put out her hand, as if wanting Hermione to take it. Hermione was shocked. There was actually a Death Eater's wife, not afraid to touch a 'Mudblood', and seemed so calm about Hermione escaping.

"No." She said quietly as she looked at the ground. Narcissa took a deep breath.

"I said I should, I never said I would," She let out a small laugh. "It's kind of pathetic really. Here I am, a descendant of the Black family, where most of my relatives are Death Eaters, my own son is one now, and here I am...helping you"

"I think it's brave. I mean you wanting me to get out alive, which I probably won't when I really think about it. But you don't believe in any of the 'pure-blood supremacy' stuff do you?" She couldn't believe she just went off and asked that, to the wife of the enemy.

"No, I don't. I think it's all ridiculous. I will be honest; I don't like pure-bloods, half-bloods, Mudbloods, and muggles mixing. Ever since day one, that is what I have been told, and it's hard to change that. But the rest is just foolishness. I don't think I am any better than anyone else for the sole reason that I am a pure-blood. Then on top of it all, having a girl here, the same age as my son, being tortured and going to be killed for being something she can't control. I just can't handle that. I can't sit back and do nothing. To be honest I was going to come down and help you soon. But now that you are here, it's almost fate. Now come with me. You have been here far too long." Narcissa held out her hand once more. Hermione took it and stood up. "This is not an easy place to get out of. With me, I can get you to the fireplace we use for the floo network. You are in no condition to disapparate from here." Narcissa opened the door and peaked out. Nobody was coming as far as she could hear. "But we need to fix that arm of yours first. It looks painful. Did...Lucius do this to you?"

"Yes."

"My God." Narcissa fell silent as she walked into the bathroom with Hermione in tow. Narcissa rummaged through a cabinet by the sink, which seemed to have at least twenty different potions in it. After awhile she pulled one out and handed it to Hermione. "This should heal your skin at least, but for your bones, we don't have anything brewed at the moment. I'm sorry, but at least it won't all be exposed." Hermione drank the potion and felt a tingling sensation go to her arm. She looked down and saw her skin grow back almost immediately. "That seems to be working. Now come. We need to go." Narcissa ushered Hermione out of the bathroom and bedroom, and into the hallway. Hermione frowned.

"Wouldn't you get in trouble if anybody found out you helped me? And when I do escape, won't your family be punished?"

"Yes, we would. But did you notice clothes and a small bag on the bed?" To be honest Hermione didn't look much at the room. She was too focused on Narcissa and what she was doing. "I'm taking Draco and we are leaving. I've talked to Lucius about it, and he can come if he wishes, but unfortunately he thinks his so called 'job' is more important." Narcissa let out a small, shaky sigh, and Hermione could have sworn she heard a little cry. But she couldn't be sure.

"Won't you miss him though? I mean he is your husband. Why risk all of this just for me?" Hermione asked. It all seemed suspicious, but she couldn't bring herself to stop Narcissa. She believed her, despite her brain telling her to run the other way. There was silence for a few minutes, and Hermione began to wonder if she had said the question loud enough. Maybe Narcissa didn't hear her. She started to repeat it but Narcissa broke the silence before she could.

"Lucius is my husband, yes. But now, he is not the man I married. I was attracted to him, but I never loved him. Pure-blood families, especially the Malfoy and Black family, are very proud, and most pure-bloods believe they should only marry other pure-bloods. But it doesn't stop there, they also believe and want their children to marry into other wealthy families. So in order to keep it that way, most marriages are arranged, and that is what happened with Lucius and I. When we married I did have a great deal of respect for him, so I wasn't opposed to it, plus that's all we ever knew. It's what we grew up with. But over the years, he has become more and more sucked into these ideals and beliefs, and he went from never hurting a soul, to being in battles, to kidnapping people, to torturing them, and then to killing on a whim. I've gotten fed up with it all, and when I look at him, I don't see the handsome man I had this connection with. All I see is a monster. I gave him the opportunity to leave this place and run away until the war is over, but he won't take it. So, I'm leaving and he can take the punishment." By the time she finished tears were falling down her face.

Hermione was in shock. First of all, she never would have thought someone as sophisticated and elegant as Narcissa Malfoy would cry in front of people. Second of all, she just met the woman, and she was already almost to the point of telling her life story. It seemed odd to Hermione, but she had no doubt that Narcissa was telling the truth.

Another long silence fell between them and Hermione couldn't think of anything to say. She wasn't even sure if she could say anything that wouldn't make her sound absolutely absurd.

"We are almost there." Narcissa whispered. Thank god they hadn't run into anyone. Who knows what they would have done to her, and Narcissa. Hermione started to shake from pure happiness. She was almost out of here and she could be back with Ron and Harry and with people on her side of the war. She would be safe for now. But she thought too soon.

"Cissy, Now what are you doing with that Mudblood?" Hermione turned around and looked into the black eyes of Bellatrix. _'Has Narcissa thought this far? What is she going to say now that we are caught?'_ "You weren't trying to do anything to help that piece of filth were you Cissy?"

"Of course not Bella," She looked over at Hermione and had the guiltiest look in her eyes. "She kept knocking on the cellar door and I decided to let her out on a walk."

"My god you are soft. I don't get how I can be related to you. Show prisoners no mercy. Why can't you understand that? I guess I'll just go and take her now. I talked with Lucius earlier and teased him a bit, but I promised I would take her. Also he did kill that blood-traitor, so that should have taken its toll on that Mudblood," She continued to talk as if Hermione wasn't even there. "Well we best be going. Come you." She motioned over towards Hermione.

Hermione spared one last glance over at Narcissa and started to walk towards Bellatrix very slowly. "Come on I don't have all day. Plus we don't want to lessen the girl time we have together." Hermione was waiting for the right chance, so she moved even slower. "Dumb bitch." Bellatrix mumbled and looked up at the ceiling.

There it was. Hermione reached in her robes as quickly as she could and pulled out her wand.

"Stupify! Expelliarmus! Diffindo! Petrificus Totalus!" Hermione shot as many spells as she could remember, hoping at least one would hit Bellatrix. Bellatrix seemed to deflect all the spells but the last one, which Hermione realized she didn't cast. Another flash of light came from beside her causing Bellatrix to fly up into the air, and down the hallway. Hermione looked back at Narcissa in shock.

"Go. Follow this hallway then turn left." She said. Hermione knew she was risking her life for her, so she ran as fast as she could. She got to the end of the hallway and turned left as Narcissa told her. She kept running and came upon two, big oak doors. _'This must be where she told me. Oh god I hope it is.'_ She pushed open one of the doors which took an immense effort. She stumbled into the room and saw a large bed across from her. The windows seemed to reach the ceiling, which was at least fifty feet high. She noticed candles were neatly placed around the room on different tables and desks. There was another door leading somewhere, which she guessed was maybe a bathroom, since this looked like the master bedroom. _'Of course they would have the floo powder fireplace in their room.'_

She saw the fireplace next to a huge desk and walked over to it, but she couldn't find the floo powder.

_'Where is it? Shouldn't it be right beside here? Why hide such a thing as floo powder?' _Hermione started to panic. She tore apart the desk and a few nightstands around the room trying to look for the little bottle with her only hope in it. She went to the other side of the room to where a wardrobe stood . She didn't particularly want to look through it. She thought about how personal it was looking through their stuff, even if she wasn't paying attention to any of it. But looking through their clothes, _his_ clothes, was just too close.

She stood there and looked at the wardrobe for a moment. Despite the circumstances, she did think it was breathtaking. It was a deep brown, red wood, with intricate carvings of snakes wrapping around the sides. It was weird to see something other than black, green, and silver in the house, so it stood out like a sore thumb. _'I better open it just to look. I mean I've looked everywhere else, and if this works out, I won't have to step foot in here ever again.' _

She turned the knob and opened the wardrobe. The scent of _him_ came wafting out and filled Hermione's nose. It was a sort of musky, but pleasing smell. She figured this was where Lucius kept his clothes. How could someone so evil, smell so...good? She closed her eyes and took another breath through her nose to get the scent again. It reminded her of cologne she would smell in one of those muggle magazines with the little samples on paper. When she was a little girl she would love to get those in the mail, then always try to get her dad to buy it because 'the big man on the paper wears it.'

The simple smell brought back memories-so sweet at the time-but painful now to think about.

She stood there thinking, and almost lost herself in a trance. She jumped as she heard someone open the door to the room. She looked down and saw the floo powder sitting beside a pair of shoes at the bottom. She turned around and saw someone she hadn't expected to see at all.

"Granger?" Draco looked absolutely disgusted as he sneered at her. Hermione had no time to respond to him and jumped over the bed to get to the other side of the room before Draco thought to move.

Draco's eyes widened as he realized what she was doing. He ran to the fireplace in an attempt to block it, but Hermione got there before him.

"62 Talisman Drive London!" She yelled as he jumped in with her. The fireplace spit them out and she realized where she told them to go. She looked around at her parent's home, not seeing them anywhere which was good.

"Granger, what the hell," Draco yelled as he jumped off of her, seeing as he was lying squarely on top of her. "We have to get back. Why take us to some muggle house?"

"Hah, yeah like I would tell you, and why Draco, tell me, would I go back there with you? Are you really that dense?"

"Wait, this is your old house isn't it? It was a natural instinct to yell your house address. Nice Granger, but that was a big mistake." Draco grabbed her by the arm that was previously injured. The skin may have been healed, but it was still sore. It caused Hermione to lose her balance. Draco jumped into the fireplace and dragged her in as well. "Malfoy Manor!"

The green flames engulfed them, and once again they were shot out into the room they were just in a few minutes ago. "Draco! No! Give me the floo powder!" Hermione tried to get the floo powder back from him, but he was too quick. She chased him around the room like it was an innocent game of tag.

She reached for her wand, but it was missing. _'Oh, no! My wand! I must have dropped it, or...' _She looked at what Draco held in his other hand. Her wand...She stopped trying to catch him. "Draco, give me my wand."

"Oh you want your wand, Granger? Well what are you going to do about it? Do you really think I would give it to you, especially since you aren't even supposed to be out of your little filthy cell? I think I'll keep this if you don't mind." He grinned gloatingly at her.

Hermione scowled at him as she thought about how to get out of the room. He blocked the door, had her wand, and had the floo powder. She was stuck. She surely couldn't tackle him, he had to be at least six inches taller, and he was most likely stronger. But she had nothing more to lose, so she went for it. She ran as fast as she could towards him and jumped, knocking him back. He dropped the floo powder in alarm and the glass shattered on the floor.

"What the hell?" She heard him scream. She gave it her all, trying to make him fall to the floor. She grabbed his neck, his arms, and after a few moments he fell. She went for her wand in his right hand. She leaned over to the side to get it, and he managed to throw her off. He had a pretty hard grip on her wand, and with her trying to get it, it snapped in half.

"No! My wand!" Hermione cried in dismay. She held about four inches of it and the remaining was still in Draco's hand.

"So what are you going to do now Granger?" He teased.

Before she could say a snide remark back, he pulled up his left sleeve and touched the elevated dark mark that was tattooed into his arm. Not a minute later the door slammed open and in came Lucius and Bellatrix by his side. Bellatrix was beaming with happiness, but Lucius looked furious.

"And what the hell are you doing Mudblood?" He said through clenched teeth. He raised his wand, only to have it be taken by Bellatrix.

"Now now, Lucius. How about we wait until the Dark Lord gets here, and he can deal with her. Maybe it can speed our little plan along and we can get rid of her faster than we intended?" Lucius stood motionless for a few seconds.

"You're right. The Dark Lord can take care of her, and we can get some of this questioning done sooner. Then she will be out of our hair, little pest." He seemed to get quieter as he went on. Every time he talked, he always seemed to have this tone in his voice that always said he meant business. But Hermione noticed that was gone. It made him seem almost innocent.

She didn't know when the sudden change in him happened, but she didn't have much time to think about that. Another thought clicked in her head. Voldemort was coming for her; and he would be there any second now.


	5. Chapter 5 Broken Weapon

_**I Can't Say Goodbye.**_

_**Chapter 5. Broken Weapon**_

_'There always seemed to be tension between Hermione and the Malfoy family, no matter what Malfoy it was. She seemed to get along with everyone, except for them. They always called her a, uh, Mudblood. But for them to kidnap her, that's too far. That war made people do crazy things. A lot of people just lost their minds around that time.'_

"_**If you're going through Hell, keep going." ~ Winston Churchill**_

"Voldemort's coming here?" Draco asked, with a hint of fear in his voice. He may be a Death Eater, but he wasn't evil. Hermione knew that. He just didn't have it in him.

"Yes my dear. Since it seems the little Mudblood won't break now matter how hard we try. The Dark Lord is going to have to get the point across." Bellatrix strolled over and grabbed Hermione by the arm. Hermione unsuccessfully tried to stifle her whimper of fear and Bellatrix appeared gleeful at the sound. Hermione swallowed thickly as she tried to think of what other information they would want out of her. Besides Lucius coming to 'put her in her place', there was no other reason she could think of. If Harry was going to come rescue her, they would have done it already.

Maybe they were just going to kill her, right then and there. She didn't want to die. She had been so close to freedom, two times now. But what did she have left to live for? Her best friends, her Wizarding family; they didn't even come and try to rescue her like she thought.

Bellatrix pulled her out of the room and down a long hallway. She tripped over her feet a few times but she didn't have time to recover because Bellatrix was moving-and dragging her along-at a manic pace. Finally Bellatrix seemed fed up with her awkward gait.

"Ugh, take her, Lucius. She's so pathetic; can't even walk right. I don't want to touch her more than I have to." She threw Hermione towards Lucius who was walking behind them. Lucius rolled his eyes and let Hermione fall, not catching her.

"Bella, just use the Imperious on her; you love using that. Why not use it now?"

"Well if you must know, when I woke up in the hallway, my wand was gone. I can't remember why I was there in the first place, but I seem to have lost my wand, for now." Bellatrix sighed as if it pained her to talk any longer. _'Narcissa must have used obliviate on Bellatrix to make her forget about being cursed by her own sister. I hope that's all it takes for her not to get in trouble.'_

"My god..." Lucius sighed. He grabbed Hermione roughly and pulled her along.

Hermione looked up at Lucius. He was stone-cold, like always. He didn't bother to look down at her the whole time they walked. Not even a side-glance. _'Well why would he be? He wouldn't bother to look at any of his other prisoners I'm pretty sure. Then why do I want him to look at me, even just once. Maybe I want to see if there is any sign of regret, any ounce of pity, just something. Even him just acknowledging that I am a human, he may very well be dragging me to my death.' _

"If you stare any longer I will blind you, Mudblood." Lucius said still staring straight ahead.

Hermione blushed and quickly averted her gaze. She hadn't meant to stare that long. _'He has no compassion what-so-ever. I hope he suffers. I hope everything he loves or cares about will be taken from him. I hope his world will fall apart just like mine is. He deserves it.'_ She stared determinedly at the ground for the remainder of their trip.

* * *

_**Lucius**_

_'Why is she staring at me? I'm not going to look at her. I can't give into her, and I don't know what I'll do if I did meet her eyes. Just keep looking forward and keep walking.'_ Lucius sped up a bit. Maybe the Dark Lord would end her today. That was all that he wished for. He hated these new feelings that had risen out of seemingly nowhere. He always had control of everything; Control over his peers in school, control over his wife, control over his job; control over everything...until now.

They reached the room where all their "interrogating" was done. The blood, her blood, was still splattered across the wall and floor. The Dark Lord was already there and sitting in a black chair in the middle of the room. He always looked terrifying, Lucius wouldn't deny that, but right now his presence was truly formidable. Lucius had only seen this look a few times before, and when he had this look, he knew the person was done for. He was certainly glad he wasn't in the Mudbloods shoes; she was in for a hell of a time.

"Well, Bellatrix, why have you called me here?" Voldemort asked in his deep, raspy voice. Maybe his look wasn't because he was going to kill anyone today, Lucius figured. Maybe it was because he had been called randomly, for a purpose he found unbefitting of his time. Lucius tried to study his master closely, but it wasn't the easiest thing to look at him. He fought the urge to touch his nose as he blinked subtly at his master's face. My god...if his nose ever looked like that...Lucius grimaced then hurriedly composed his face back into its usual mask of indifference. It wouldn't do to be caught with such an expression.

"Well, my lord," Bellatrix started, "This stupid little girl tried to escape today, and she can't seem to listen to us no matter what we put her through." Lucius felt Hermione tense up beside him. He glanced down at her without thinking and noticed she had a scowl on her face. She was trying to be brave, even in front of the scariest person on Earth. Lucius smirked at that. _'Foolish girl...'_

"We were certain you would absolutely love to put her in her place a bit. You've been stressed lately, won't it be fun?" Bellatrix coaxed with wide eyes. Lucius could have sworn he saw a hint of fear in her eyes. He filed the fact away for later usage-probably when she was acting all high-and-mighty and prissy like-he would use it against her to knock her down a peg.

Voldemort's red eyes glanced from Hermione, to Lucius, to Bellatrix, then back to Hermione. He rose up from his chair-not at all gracefully-Lucius noted with a slight wince, and started to reach for his wand. Lucius threw Hermione to the ground. She needed to die. He was tired of having her in his house. He heard a little whimper come from Hermione as she landed on the floor. He automatically looked down, almost to see if she was alright, but changed his mind and looked back up. It would all be over soon.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

"Well then, let's have some fun shall we?" Voldemort grinned, which scared Hermione the most. She wasn't sure why, but even if he was scowling, she would have felt a bit better. Of course the situation itself couldn't get any better, but if he was smiling, she knew what was coming couldn't be good.

She knew that she was going to die, it was inescapable. She just didn't want _him_ to kill her though; anyone but him. She almost wanted Lucius to kill her if she had to die. Hell, he killed Ginny, and tortured her within the past hours, he would probably be more than happy to get rid of her.

She looked up at Lucius one last time to see if she could see _anything_, anything at all. But his face was as impassive as ever. She turned her eyes towards Voldemort with as much courage as she could muster. Bellatrix flew into a fine tizzy at that.

"Filthy scum, you aren't fit to lay eyes on the Dark Lord!" she shrieked "Cruc-,"

"Bellatrix, That is enough...Obviously Crucio isn't teaching her anything. I'll handle this." Voldemort cut in with a whisper. He made his way over to where Hermione was and knelt down to meet her face. "So you think you are better than us do you?" Hermione wasn't sure if he was asking this as a rhetorical question or if he really wanted an answer.

"Well? I asked you a question, I expect an answer. Not only are you rebellious, you're also slow aren't you?" Hermione closed her eyes and pretended she was talking to someone else. Lucius's face popped in her head and made her furious.

"No. No I'm not. And I don't think I'm better than you, but you aren't better than me either. But I have never killed anyone, so maybe I am better than you, all of you." Hermione immediately regretted saying anything. She never did learn to keep her big mouth shut.

Electricity shot through her veins. She let out a scream. The electricity wouldn't stop, and it seemed to get more and more intense by the second. "This electric shock is merely putting your words into feelings. What you said was meant to 'shock' me wasn't it? Well it seemed it 'shocked' you as well. And now as much as you scream, it will get worse. The shrill of your screams fuel it, and cause the pain to grow greater. If you stop, the pain will stop."

Hermione listened to his words and tried to stop, but couldn't. The pain got worse until she felt like she was going to be sick. Her vocal chords felt like they were going to shatter. Tears stung her eyes as she opened them. She felt the tingling sensation in the back of her mouth, and she soon felt the sting of vomit in her throat. She welcomed the feeling; it silenced her screams which in turn stopped the painful electricity. She collapsed in a heap in the puddle of her vomit and panted.

She lifted herself up and got on her arms and knees. She tried to regain a regular breathing pattern, but it seemed like her lungs had closed up. She couldn't seem to get a full breath in before coughing more. Looking up she saw only saw Bellatrix and Voldemort looking at her. Lucius was leaning on the wall in the corner, but he didn't look enthused. He appeared almost bored with the proceedings.

Voldemort noticed Hermione wasn't looking at him like he expected her too. He followed her gaze and looked at Lucius, who seemed oblivious to their blatant stares. Voldemort returned to the pathetic sight in front of him, his lip curling slightly. "You dare not look at me while I'm trying to teach you?"

His voice snapped Hermione back into reality. As she was glaring over at Lucius, she was hoping he would do something. Maybe stop this. She knew he wouldn't, she knew he didn't care; But she was determined to get him to at least develop some sort of compassion, or sympathy; anything.

She looked up at Voldemort and Bellatrix laughed. It was a particularly pleasant sound and it resounded in the room with a hollow ding Hermione shuddered, how could one woman be so creepy? She didn't know what Bellatrix found so funny either, but it didn't concern her. She was just determined to get through this alive, or at least try. Voldemort raised his wand and Hermione shut her eyes tight, not wanting to know what was going to happen next.

He uttered words Hermione couldn't make out but she began to feel as if a million needles were poking into her skin everywhere. She looked down and saw little scratches starting to form. They started on her arms, and made their way up to her neck; then she started to feel it on her legs as well, even though she couldn't see her skin there.

At first it was simply uncomfortable, but the pain started to get worse. Blood started to pour out from every new cut that was forming and they were getting deeper and deeper. Hermione tried not to scream but lost that battle. She let out a whimper of pain and more salty tears drained from her eyes.

"Imperio!" Hermione felt that wonderful feeling again. She felt as if she wasn't in her body, she was just a spirit looking down on the scene unfolding before her. All her worries and pain disappeared. She wondered what he was doing. He wanted to cause her pain didn't he? Why place her under the imperious curse? At the moment though, she really didn't care. All she knew was that she wasn't in pain, and she was uncontrollably happy. "Now Harry, look at your friend. Look at what she has become because of you."

_'Harry? What...?' _Hermione wondered in alarm. Surely Harry was nowhere near the Manor?

_'Cut your cheek.' _Voldemort's voice hissed in her mind.

_'What? Where did that thought come from? My hand...why is it moving? Where did I get a dagger...no. I have to resist, I'm not going to cut myself.'_

Hermione raised her hand despite her efforts to stop it. She pushed the dagger against her cheek and felt it go through layers of skin, then she moved it, feeling it tear open her cheek. She felt the pain despite being under the imperious curse. She wanted to scream but she couldn't; doing so was impossible under the curse. All she could do was pray for it to be over soon.

She let go of the dagger and it fell to the ground, then she felt reality come rushing back. Her hand immediately went to her cheek which stung when she touched it. She looked at her hand mortified as she saw it was covered in blood. She was barely able to recover from the shock before Voldemort had started something else.

"Crucio!" The familiar pain came rushing back and she thrashed around in her own vomit and blood. Chainsaws were cutting away her skin, boiling water seeped into her skin, she was being crushed, she couldn't breathe, her organs were being clawed out, then release. "Harry, Come to Malfoy Manor if you ever want to see your Mudblood friend alive again. You cannot win this war Harry Potter. You will lose everything." Hermione vaguely wondered-as she lay motionless and panting on the ground- if Voldemort was communicating with Harry though his scar and dreams. He'd told her about his terrible nightmares and his apparent ability to share thoughts with the dark Wizard.

"Bellatrix, I believe I gave you the task of getting information out of her, did I not?"

"You did my lord, and I will gladly do that now. You don't need to waste your time on this filthy Mudblood any longer." Bellatrix came over and had a look of such admiration when she looked at Voldemort. It almost made Hermione sick with disgust.

"Good, thank you Bellatrix. I believe now she will be more...obedient. Here's a spare wand because I believe you lost yours. Also, Lucius, help Bellatrix won't you? You seem off...maybe this will help you some. Use any spell you like; just be sure to keep her alive...for now." Once he was done saying that he disappeared in puff of black smoke.

Bellatrix let out a loud laugh. "Now little insect, are you willing to cooperate or do we have to force information out of you?" She asked as she danced around the room. Hermione coughed and took in a deep breath. "I will never tell you anything. You are pathetic to torture someone until they give you information. We will win this war, without using what you do. You will lose, but I will not give into you." It took a few minutes for Hermione to get that out, but once she was finished she smiled a little. She survived Voldemort, she felt invincible, at least for now.

"Mudblood, so you know why the Dark Lord was saying stuff about little bity Potter? He was showing you to him, through his dreams. If Potter cared about you at all, he would be here by now. Obviously that is not the case though is it? You have nothing left in the world." Bellatrix sounded enraged.

Hermione looked up and felt a sliver of terror run up her spine. She had been right; Bellatrix was livid, and ready to spill some blood if the look on her face was anything to go by. Hermione closed her eyes with an inward sigh. This was not going to be pleasant..."Crucio!"

* * *

_**Lucius**_

Hours passed, and he was still in the same room, watching the same girl scream in agony. He didn't know if he could take much more of it. With the Dark Lord torturing her for that hour, it was easier for him to stand by. He wasn't going to interfere with that, oh no. Now however, with Bella mindlessly torturing the Mudblood, it took all he had not to stop it. Her screams pierced his ears, curdled his blood and made him want to light himself on fire purely out of guilt.

Had she been dead by now, like he'd hoped, he would be able to get over the thing she had on him. But as time went on, he didn't want her dead. But her screams almost fuelled him, made him feel better. He liked that, at least he knew she was still alive.

It's incredible what the human mind and body can handle. The girl has gone through at least three hours of indescribable torture, and she still wasn't willing to give up any information. She would break soon though. They always did.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

"You stupid little girl," Bellatrix shrieked in rage some time later. "You really think you are being brave? You are being foolish and you can avoid all of this if you just give us information! Lucius, come over here, you seem to have a closer relationship with the Mudblood." Bellatrix threw her hands up in the air.

Hermione tried to lift her head up but she found she couldn't move even if she wanted to. Her neck felt like it was frozen stiff. She shifted her eyes up and saw Lucius walk over slowly. He had a different look to him though. He almost looked _human. _He didn't look angry, or cold, or evil. He just looked like a man.

"Bella, come on. Just give her a break, and then we can continue later. She hardly seems in a condition to talk." Lucius said as he glanced down at Hermione. Their eyes met and Hermione saw something in them, for once. They weren't the slates of stone she usually saw. There was something else there. They looked at each other and for that brief moment of time, it was just them.

"Lucius, What are you doing?" Hermione jumped at the sound of Bellatrix's voice and quickly looked away from Lucius. _'Indeed, what is he doing?' _she wondered to herself.

"Nothing, why do you ask?" Lucius replied nonchalantly.

"You're defending that parasite. Why?" Bellatrix seemed sincerely clueless.

"I'm not defending her Bella. All I'm saying is that she will be more useful if she was healthier, and not so beaten. If you haven't forgotten, she is our only weapon at the moment. She can't be absolutely broken and beaten down." Bellatrix was silent and all that could be heard in the room was Hermione's heavy breathing.

"Fine, I guess you're right. But torturing someone so weak, so feeble, is quite fun. You should give it another go Lucius."

"Bella, no. I'm not in the mood. Hasn't she gone through enough?" Lucius took in a deep breath.

"Lucius...what is the matter with you? If I didn't know any better, I would say you are starting to become attached to the little Mudblood. Tell me that isn't so." Bellatrix looked shocked, but Hermione didn't know whether it was sincere or fake. She had a feeling that Bellatrix knew something that she didn't. What was going on?

"You're out of line Bella," Lucius gave her a look of utter disgust "That is absolutely repulsive, she's repulsive. I wouldn't touch her even if my life depended on it. You know that. Who in their right mind would be attached to such a pathetic life-form?" He scoffed and turned around; clearly showing that the conversation was over as far as he was concerned.

Hermione wanted to say something. She wanted to tell him what she really thought about him, just to say something. She tried to speak but she could barely hear her herself. She doubted they would hear her. "You aren't the greatest person in the world either. You sick sadistic bastard. Why would anyone want to be around you either? You have no personality, no ounce of compassion in you, nothing. I hope you rot in hell."

It seemed Hermione was only talking to herself, because neither Bellatrix nor Lucius seemed to hear her. They didn't even react. They simply continued their conversation as if Hermione wasn't there, or she wasn't important. To these people she knew she wasn't, but it still stung.

Bellatrix laughed a bit, like she always did. It got on Hermione's nerves every time that woman opened her mouth, let alone laugh. "Well then, torture her. Prove it. You know what we do to people who betray our beliefs. If the Dark Lord had any suspicion at all..."

"Fine. Step out of the way." Bellatrix danced around Lucius and went to the side of the room.

Lucius took a step towards Hermione and raised his wand. Hermione stared at the wall in front of her, knowing what was to come. She had always heard stories about torture and rape victims, and how they could make themselves believe that they was in a different place and time; to escape the reality of the situation. She wondered how they did that, because that was the one thing she wanted right now. She could barely move, or even talk. She just wanted the pain to stop. She wanted these people to drop dead.

She hated these feelings she had. She never wished ill on anyone, until now. She was praying to God to kill someone, and she hated herself for it.

"Crucio."

Pain shot through her skin, but it wasn't as bad as anything she had felt previously. It then stopped after a few seconds. 'The Unforgivable Curses. In order to use them correctly, the spell-caster needs to mean it. The spell-caster needs to want the target to suffer more than anything. If spell-caster does not truly want the target to die or be in pain, the curse isn't as effective. I.E The _cruciatus curse is described as intolerable pain to the target, but in order to cast it correctly __**one must desire to cause pain purely for it's own sake or for fulfillment.**_ _If one does not desire to cause pain, the curse is described as a mild discomfort for approx. 4-7 seconds, no matter how long the caster intends the spell to work. '_

She remembered a book she read just last year about the curses. She remembered that excerpt from it. Is that what had happened? But why wouldn't he want her to suffer? He said before he hated her, _despised her, _and yet he didn't want to inflict true pain.

"You're useless sometimes." Bellatrix groaned from the corner. "If you can't do anything right now, I'll just be taking her. She will be out of your hair, and I will deal with her then."

"You're taking her?" Lucius said, with a hint of panic in his voice.

"Well yeah, that's what we agreed upon. She is my responsibility remember my dear, Lucius?"

"Yes I remember Bella, but doesn't that seem like a rash decision, not to mention dangerous, taking her in this state?"

"My god Lucius, since when have you cared about prisoners? You are getting soft. Snap out of it why don't you? I'm taking her and you can go back to do whatever you did before you had this burden."

Bellatrix walked over to Hermione and grabbed her arm, pulling her up. Hermione yelled out in pain and felt a squeezing sensation as she realized they were disapparating.

A split second later, they were thrown on stone steps to what looked like an exact replica of the Malfoy Manor, but about ten times smaller. "Come on, up, up!" Bellatrix pulled Hermione's arm upwards as she dragged her up the stone steps. They made their way into the dark house. The outside looked like the Malfoy Manor, but the inside was completely different. Once they got to the doorway Bellatrix let go of Hermione and shoved her wand into her back. "I trust you aren't completely inept to walk for yourself."

_'Keep your mouth shut. Don't say anything. You know what she is capable of. Just be quiet.' _Hermione thought as she took a deep breath and walked to where Bellatrix shoved her. The foyer, Hermione noticed, was big and empty. The walls looked as if some black-green mould was growing out of it, and the ceiling was cracked and it looked like it could cave in any minute. They turned left down a hallway which didn't look any better. There was hardly any light and the uneven concrete floor caused Hermione to trip several times.

"Bella? What are you doing heading towards the prison cell?" Bellatrix whipped around and smiled at her husband. "Rodolphus, dear, we have a new guest staying with us." She grabbed Hermione and pulled her around so Rodolphus could get a look at her. Hermione looked up and Rodolphus spoke again. "Well, you girls have fun." He didn't take his eyes off her. Hermione shifted under her weight as best as she could, since Bellatrix still had a firm grip on her arm.

Hermione looked everywhere but at the man staring at her. She could almost _feel_ his eyes on her. They stood there for another couple seconds before Bellatrix caught on that her husband wasn't looking at her, but instead he was looking at Hermione. Her eyes widened and her nostrils flared. She grabbed Hermione's arm harder and threw her around in the direction they were walking before they were interrupted. Hermione felt Bellatrix's breath on the back of her neck as they walked. Her breathing got heavier and heavier by the minute.

Hermione wasn't sure why she got so angry, but she knew it wasn't a good sign for her. They reached a doorway and Bellatrix pushed Hermione through, plunging her into the darkness.

"Now Mudblood. I am going to ask questions. You are going to answer them truthfully. If you don't...well let's just say I can't guarantee you to ever see anything outside this room." She stepped into the room and closed the door behind her. "Do you understand?" Hermione stared into the darkness and said nothing. She couldn't see anything around her, or even where Bellatrix stood.

"I'll take that as a yes." Bellatrix let out her usual laugh which echoed on the walls around the room.

By the sound of her voice and the echoing, Hermione realized the room was even smaller than the cell she had previously been in. "Now Mudblood, why were you at the Manor dressed as my dear sister? You failed to answer that simple little question earlier."

Hermione took a deep breath. _'Just tell her. What is the big deal with her knowing I was trying to save Ginny?'_

"I was trying to save Ginny." Hermione mumbled.

"Oh that little dirty red-head? Yes, well I hear she's dead now. So you don't have to worry about that. You know, if you didn't come and try to be a hero, she would be alive right now. We might have been nice and returned her. But because you and your little friends came, she's dead. Nice going Mudblood."

Her words stabbed Hermione's heart. What if she was right? Would they really have returned Ginny? No, they wouldn't. '_Get a hold of yourself. She's trying to upset you. Don't let her get to you.'_ Hermione's eyes started to water, but she tried her hardest not to cry. "Oh it looks like I upset the little Mudblood. Aww poor deary...Oh well, next question. You and that other blood-traitor are best friends with Potter. But who else was close to him while you were at school hmm?"

_'What? No...I can't tell her that. I won't sell them out. I can take the pain...for them.'_

"I'm not going to tell you." Was all Hermione said, but after she said it, she immediately wished she had just stayed quiet.

"So you want to do it this way huh? Well little miss, we will have some fun then won't we?"

* * *

_**Lucius**_

It had been two days since Bella took that piece of filth, but Lucius still wasn't felt anything different. In fact he almost felt worse than he did before. Now there was only Draco, Narcissa, and him in their big house, and for the first time, it felt _empty._ He couldn't place what it was, and that irritated him beyond how he usually felt. Ever since that girl stepped foot into his house, she had caused nothing but trouble for him, even when she wasn't around.

When Bella had been torturing her, all he could do is stand there, like a _coward_. He normally would have gladly stepped in and tortured the poor soul lying on the floor, but when that Mudblood was there, he wasn't able to bring himself up to it. Once Bella took her and left, he roamed the house looking for Narcissa. He needed to talk to someone-of course not about everything he was feeling-but at least to simply talk. He was hoping she would make him feel as if he really wasn't becoming soft.

He found her in the kitchen, but she wasn't really doing anything. Just standing there. He found it very ironic. There was his pure-blood wife, in their house, with no care in the world, and then in the same house, a filthy Mudblood was being tortured out of her mind. The two kinds of people in this world, two people from two ends of the spectrum.

"Lucius." She said as she turned around. Her eyes were red and puffy. _'Has she been crying?'_

"Narcissa, are you alright?" Lucius said. His words just fumbled out of his mouth, they sounded hollow, cold. He wondered if she noticed this too. He did care about her feelings; at least he thought he did. So he wondered why he sounded so insensitive, to Narcissa of all people. He brushed it off as just him having a bad day, and he wasn't in a social mood.

"You have no idea do you?" Narcissa said again, breaking Lucius from his thoughts. He didn't notice her walk towards him, and she was now standing about two feet away from him. He could smell her perfume she always used. It smelled like flowers. Smelling that always made Lucius feel good for some reason. But now, smelling her perfume right in front of him, it did nothing for him. He really was losing his mind.

"Well frankly Narcissa, I can't read minds. I obviously have no idea then." Again, his words came out as venom, even though he didn't mean them to.

"How can you be so cold? I know you have tortured, even killed people in the past. But you didn't have to do this to that poor girl." _'I've killed kids younger than her.'_ Lucius thought. "How can you just walk away from torturing a girl, the same age as your son, and not feel a thing?" _'Not feel a thing? I'm feeling something, but even I don't know what it is.'_ "And then you expect me to live under the same roof as said girl, and know all of this is going on?" Narcissa took in a deep breath as a way for her not to break down in tears.

It was incredible how little Narcissa really knew about him, and what he had done or how he truly felt.

"Well she's gone now." He intoned

"Gone? You mean she's free now? Or...don't tell me. You didn't..." Her eyes widened.

"I didn't what? Oh, no. No, she's still alive. Bella took her so now she is with her and Rodolphus." Lucius crossed his arms and got a disgusted look on his face. His own wife. She was really worried about the stupid girl.

"Oh. Bella has her? Dear god, she isn't going to make it past tonight." Narcissa turned on her heels and started to pace.

"And why do you care what happens to the girl? You don't even know her, and she is beneath us. She isn't fit to walk this earth. You should know that." Lucius started to get more and more irritated as he stood there.

"She is just a girl Lucius! A young innocent girl. She can't help what she is! I know the Dark Lord needs, no not needs, he _wants_ her to catch Potter, but is this really how to go about it? If he feels the need to stoop down to the level of torturing 17 year old girls, then maybe Potter should win this war." She looked at Lucius one last time before storming out of the room.

Lucius was left speechless. He had heard her complaints before about certain prisoners and the whole fact that he was a Death Eater, but he had never felt such betrayal. After that conversation they still weren't talking, even two days later. He hadn't even seen her within the two days.

Walking into one of the many living room areas in the house. He went over to the table and poured himself a small shot of firewhiskey. He hardly ever drank, but when he did, it was never for a good reason. He always thought of himself as being sophisticated, and he needed to be 100% there all the time. He didn't have the time to get drunk, and he had always been like that. Right now, he really didn't care. He picked up the glass, looked at it, sighed, and grabbed the whole bottle too.

He slowly made his way over to the leather chair in front of the fireplace and sat down. He drank the shot and felt the warm liquid burn his throat.

"So you've taken up drinking have you Lucius?" The snake-like voice came from behind him.

He practically jumped out of his chair and faced his master. "My lord. What do I owe the pleasure?"

Lucius knew the Dark Lord didn't come to see him just to talk. Every time he came to his house, it usually meant for another mission he would have to do. But now for the first time he felt nervous about what the Dark Lord would ask him to do. "Well Lucius. I have been thinking about the Mudblood girl. She isn't the best person to get information out of, as you may already know. Also I heard you tried, and ended up killing that blood-traitor am I not mistaken?"

Lucius' stomach churned. "That's right. She was almost dead anyway, I thought I would put her out of her misery." Lucius didn't dare tell him the truth. How would he react if he knew it was all because the stupid Mudblood angered him? He wasn't going to find out.

"Lucius, I can always tell when someone is lying to me. And right now, you aren't making your point believable. Lie to me again and you will regret it. But anyhow, I'm not here to discuss blood-traitors. Bellatrix has told me that the girl still hasn't said anything. She's being brave, a trait I wouldn't expect from someone like her. But I've been thinking about ways to get her to talk. When she tried to escape, Draco followed her to her house is that correct?"

How would he know that? Lucius never said anything about Draco and how he was involved. He knew he really couldn't hide anything from his master. "That is correct."

"So Draco knows where her parents live?" Voldemort squinted through his red eyes.

"Yes."

"Good. I want him to take you to their house, and I want you to kill them." _Kill her parents?_ Lucius felt faint.

"Kill her parents, sir? And if I may ask, what would that do?"

"Well you see, if she knew you killed them, that would destroy her would it not? She will think she has nothing left to live for, thus giving us what we want." Voldemort had that sinister smile he got when he thought of some brilliant plan.

"Yes my lord, but again, if I may ask, why me? Bella is the one who has her as a prisoner and-,"

"Do you dare question me?" Voldemort's smile was gone and he looked at Lucius with contempt. Lucius knew if looks could kill he would be dead.

"No, my lord. I'm deeply sorry. I will go kill her parents tonight." Voldemort's smile came back and he looked pleased.

"Very good. I also expect you to go and tell the Mudblood yourself about what you have done."

_'Tell her myself? Can I face her? Do I even want to face her? I could just tell Bella, and have her tell the girl...'_

"No, I want you to tell her yourself. Those are your orders and I expect you to follow them Lucius. Do not disappoint me again, or you might not be around much longer." He disappeared in a puff of smoke.

Lucius sat back down in his seat and took another swig of the firewhiskey. _'Kill her parents. Do I want to do that to her? What am I talking about...Of course I do. I've wanted to destroy her since day one. I need to destroy her. Then why can't I bring myself to stand up?'_

After about an hour and five more shots of firewhiskey later Lucius stood up and wobbled out of the room. He walked passed doorways and down different hallways. He reached his son's room and opened the door, to find Draco lying on his bed staring at the ceiling. "Draco." Lucius said sloppily. He found it harder to talk than normal. Maybe he had a bit too much to drink, but at the moment, he felt he really needed it.

"Yes father?" Draco stood up and stared at his dad, who seemed to be leaning against the doorway for support. "Are you alright?"

"Yes yes, fine. Just come with me." Lucius stumbled out of the doorway and started to walk towards his bedroom, hoping Narcissa wasn't in there. At first he didn't hear his son follow him, but after a few steps, the soft tapping of Draco's shoes were heard.

"Um father, why are we heading to yours and mum's room?" Draco asked after a few seconds.

"Because I need to use the fireplace." Lucius said very quietly. He wasn't sure if he could get many words out so he figured the quieter he talked, the less likely Draco would notice he had been drinking.

He knew he wasn't drunk yet, and he would remember all of this, but the warm feeling of the whiskey gave him the sense of courage he needed to kill these muggles.

They reached the two, big oak doors. He pushed open one door and almost fell inside. He regained his composure and quickly glanced in the mirror on the other side of the room, and saw he looked like he normally did. Good. "Now Draco. What was the address that Mudblood said that lead you to her parents?"

"Oh um, I don't know..." Draco muttered, hoping maybe his father wouldn't hear. But unfortunately he did.

"You don't know? Draco, I need to know, or the Dark Lord will not be happy. You need to remember."

"Well um, maybe it was something like 62, or 82, Talisman Drive, London?" Lucius sighed out of frustration. Why couldn't his son know what is important to remember? "But I think it was 62! So, um. Try that?" Draco added quickly.

"Well you best hope you're right." Lucius said as he stepped into the fireplace and said the address.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

She lay on the cold stone floor, that's all she wanted to do. The coldness felt good against her cut and bruised skin. She hadn't moved in over...well, she had no idea how long she had been there. It seemed like forever, but knowing her luck, it could have been only a few hours. Bellatrix had come in countless amounts of times, torturing Hermione until she would pass out. She had used more than the cruciatus curse the past few times.

She heard the all too familiar clicks of Bellatrix's shoes come towards the door. Hermione groaned and almost cried. She just wanted it to stop. She wanted to die before she had to endure any more pain. Maybe if she begged Bellatrix to kill her, she would. Bellatrix loved to kill right? It could work. The door swung open and light flooded the room; burning Hermione's eyes.

"Wakey, wakey Mudblood. I promised I would be back and here I am, but you don't seem thrilled to see me. You can be so cruel. I've had so much fun within the past couple of days." Bellatrix said in a sing-song type of voice

A couple days. Had she really been there that long? She couldn't believe it. She couldn't remember the last time she had any water or food. Her mouth and lips felt so dry, she began to wonder if it was possible if they could crack off. "No response hm? I'm beginning to miss your back-talking. It was quite entertaining you know. Anyways, you probably know what I'm here for. So let's get started shall we? Maybe today is the day you will talk? It's all up to you. You can stop all of this you know..." Bellatrix laughed. She raised her wand and began to say a spell, but before she could finish it, Hermione saw a shadow come up from behind Bellatrix.

Bellatrix could obviously feel it too, for she turned around and had a wild look on her face. "You know I'm with our little guest, what do you want?" She snapped at who Hermione figured was Rodolphus.

"Well Bella, Lucius is here and he wants to talk to our little Mudblood...alone." Bellatrix turned to look at Hermione and back at Rodolphus.

"Alone? Why? Just send him down here. Damn fool." _'Lucius is coming here too? Great, now what does he want? To gloat more? Just drop dead.'_ Hermione fumed inwardly. The man really knew how to rub it in. Bellatrix stood in the doorway, growling under her breath. It almost seemed as if she forgot why she was down there in the first place. Hermione thanked god that she wasn't being tortured though, for now.

After about five minutes, which seemed like eternity, she saw another shadow walk down the hallway. He reached the cell door and whispered something to Bellatrix, who then seemed to become offended.

Hermione usually would want to know what they are talking about, but right now she had no energy to even lift her head. She just let them whisper amongst themselves for a little bit. After a few moments Bellatrix stormed out of the room, leaving Hermione alone with Lucius.

She wanted to ask him what he wanted; she wanted to say some smart remark, but she found she couldn't. All that came out was a groan. "Lovely." Lucius said as he glanced down at Hermione. He looked back up just as quickly. Her skin was purple, green, and black from bruises. It seemed like there wasn't a spot on her skin that wasn't covered in a bruise. On top of the bruises though, there were a bunch of cuts, all different sizes. Some were merely surface abrasions, and some were deep and big. There were a lot, Lucius could tell, they would leave scars.

Hermione tried her best, again, to say something. "Wha...d...ya..." was all she could get out before she had a coughing attack. Her body jerked as she coughed and it felt like she was being torn apart. Her ribs felt like they were poking into her lungs each time she coughed.

"So pathetic." Lucius murmured. _'Why is he here? Is he here just to make fun of me? What...'_

"But I'm not just here to see how pathetic you are, and make me feel better about myself, but I have some unfortunate news." He paused for effect. What could possibly be "unfortunate news" to them? Here she was, on the verge of dying, and he comes to tell her some unfortunate news? Hermione's eyes started to well up with tears out of anger. But Lucius' voice spoke again.

"Your parents are dead."


	6. Chapter 6 Explanations and Excuses

**Chapter 6. Explanations and Excuses.**

"_Hermione Granger and Lucius Malfoy. Well that's an odd pair if I say so myself. I remember, about six years ago I saw the two of them at Flourish and Blotts. Of course Miss Granger wasn't with him, but it was an interesting conversation. It was when that Gilderoy Lockhart fellow had a book-signing. Lucius was being his usual arrogant self, and him and Harry Potter had a little bickering back and forth. Miss Granger stepped in and looked him straight in the eye and defended herself and back-talked to him. It was quite incredible to see a twelve year old girl stand up to a fully grown man, especially Lucius Malfoy. Hopefully she used that courage during the war as well."_

"_**Can't tell the reasons, I did it for you. When lies turn into truth, I sacrificed for you. You say that I'm frozen, but what can I do?" - 'Frozen' Within Temptation.**_

_'My parents are dead? What, no. That can't be. I erased their memories, they were supposed to move and be safe.'_ Pain rose in Hermione's chest and she let it all out. She started to cry, not caring if Lucius was there watching her. Let him watch for all she cared. He did this. He had to be the one to kill them, then why else would he be here gloating about it?

Anger filled Hermione and she felt the urge to get up and just hurt him. Hurt him like he hurt her, and her parents. She could feel adrenaline pumping through her veins as she got to her feet, despite the growing pain she felt in her bones. She took a small step towards Lucius. _'That bastard. He will pay.' _"Tell...me...you, killed them...right?" Hermione could barely get the words out.

She looked at Lucius who was simply standing there, unmoving. She looked him straight in his stone-cold eyes. She held his stare for about three seconds before he looked away. "Yes, I did." Lucius said as he looked around the room, not daring to look at Hermione. _'Look at me you bastard. You killed my parents, be a man. Live up to it.'_

Hermione took a few steps and got over to where Lucius was standing. She was so close to him, she could reach out and touch him if she wanted too.

"You...you...feel...nothing...at all," She panted. She lifted her arm as best she could and tried to slap his face. It only ended up only feeling like a light tap.

Tears were still running down her face as she tried to push him and started to punch his chest. It was all a wasted effort, because of her current condition, she knew it wouldn't hurt him. But she thought maybe him seeing her like this, would do something; trigger a response. She knew it probably wouldn't, not to the man who could randomly go killing on a whim. But she just wanted to try. She kept hitting and slapping him, until she started to feel extremely dizzy and light-headed. Before she knew it she collapsed on the floor and hit her head on the hard surface, blacking out.

* * *

_**Lucius**_

Lucius stared down at the passed out girl before him. He deserved the so-called beating he'd gotten from her. He wasn't sure if it was the whiskey catching up to him, the pathetic beating attempt he got, or if he really cared about the girl, but he felt like he wanted to break down and cry. _'You feel nothing.'_

Her hitting him, hurt more than anything, but he found he couldn't stop her. He stood there and took it. He turned around to leave. He couldn't take the sight much longer.

If only she knew what had really happened, and how it was destroying him. He walked as fast as he could down the hallways so he could get out of the house. He hoped he wouldn't run into Bella because he figured he probably looked like a wreck.

Rodolphus stepped out of one of the rooms as Lucius rushed passed. "Lucius? You're still here?"

"I was just leaving." Lucius said, still not bothering to look back.

"Good. So how's the girl? Is she taking the death of her parents well? Or does she need some...company?" Rodolphus said the last sentence in such a way, it made Lucius turn around in shock.

"And what do you mean by company?" he spat.

"Oh well you know. Someone there as a shoulder to cry on, make her feel better, if you catch my drift." Rodolphus raised an eyebrow a disturbing smirk on his face. Lucius felt a sudden pang of anger.

"Rodolphus, honestly, you aren't planning on doing anything to her are you? You're married for goodness sakes!"

"So? That hasn't stopped you." Rodolphus shot back defensively.

"What is that supposed to mean? I haven't touched that Mudblood!" Lucius was getting furious. Why was Rodolphus suspecting him of doing _anything_ to that creature? But at the same time, why would he care what Rodolphus did to her? It wasn't his business, yet he couldn't keep his mouth shut.

"Oh save it. We all know there is something going on. I've seen the way you look at her. Take the example of when she first got here and Bella was torturing her. You stepped in and defended her."

"I wasn't defending her. Bella was going over-board. I had to stop the girl from dying. We needed her."

"No we didn't need her. You need her, and you know it. Why did you want to talk to her alone today hmm? Bella would have gladly stayed there and heard the news. She would have loved to see the girl's reaction. But instead you made her leave. It's so obvious Lucius. Stop lying to yourself and everyone around you." Rodolphus turned around and started to walk towards the prison cell.

"And why are you going to see her then? You know what the Dark Lord does to Death Eaters who touch Mudbloods and blood-traitors. You will be dead by the end of the week." Lucius didn't know why he was trying to get him to stop. He didn't particularly like Rodolphus, and he certainly didn't think of him as family. So he didn't care what happened to him.

He knew he was defending the Mudblood once again. He remembered looking in her eyes, and seeing something so innocent in them. He liked that. He didn't want that to disappear. At least not yet. He admitted all of this to himself, and strangely it felt like a weight was lifted from his shoulders.

He knew he wasn't in love with the girl, and he knew he didn't even like her. But there was something invisible there, almost like an obsession. He couldn't control how he felt. He just gave in.

"Well say what you like. I'm going to see _my_ prisoner, and I can do what I like to her." Rodolphus said triumphantly. He walked away and turned a corner, leaving Lucius alone in the hallway.

Lucius debated on going to warn Bella, but this whole nuisance seemed to be beneath him. It also would confirm her suspicions about him and the girl. So despite his mind, and his heart, he kept walking and didn't look back.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

Hermione slowly opened her eyes and blinked in the darkness. Her head was pounding and her vision was blurry. With a start she realized she wasn't alone. She could dimly make out the hulking shadowy figure of someone standing in the corner of the room.

She lifted herself up slowly and leaned against the wall nearest to her. "Is...some..one...there?" She said slowly. She couldn't quite tell if it was someone, or if her eyes were playing tricks on her. She saw the shadow move, not much, but she was positive it moved. "Who's there?" She repeated. It seemed stupid to her to ask, since it was only Bellatrix and her husband in the house.

Still, it seemed odd to her. If it were Bellatrix she would have said something, and she wouldn't have stood in the corner for who knows how long.

"So you're awake." Rodolphus, How long had he been standing there? "You looked so peaceful deary. I couldn't wake you up even if I wanted to."

_'What is he saying? He was watching me sleep, oh lord, that's repulsive!'_ Hermione could tell he was getting closer, by the clacking noise his shoes made against the hard concrete ground. She barely saw the shadow kneel down in front of her. She could smell smoke and alcohol on his breath and clothing and it made her want to gag. "Wha...what do you...want?" Hermione asked as he got closer. She had an idea, but she was praying to whatever deity looking down on her that she was wrong.

"Well, I thought you would just love some company, right now. And after hearing about your parents, you must be pretty upset, and vulnerable." Rodolphus said, still inching closer. Hermione could tell he was no more than a few inches away from her now.

"What? No, get away from me..." Hermione tried to sound angry, and serious, but failed. She then tried to lift her arms up and stop him, but she felt too weak. It was a wasted effort on her part, and she knew it.

Rodolphus grabbed Hermione by the shoulders and lowered her to the cold, stony floor. _'No, this can't be happening. Someone, help...'_ She felt Rodolphus' hands run down her arms and squeezed her eyes shut tight. A single tear streaked unheeded down her cheek.

Rodolphus' hands now were at the base of her shirt and he slid them underneath it. _'This isn't how this is supposed to happen...'_ More tears came to her eyes as she tried to squirm from under his touch. Obviously Rodolphus noticed this, "Come on deary. There's no need to cry. Just let it happen, you will enjoy it."

She could fell his breath on her, getting closer and closer. His hand was moving up farther. _'No!'_ Rodolphus paused for a moment and took his hand out from her shirt. A rush of relief rolled through Hermione until she realized he hadn't moved or gotten up.

At first she thought he decided against what he was doing, but she didn't know how wrong she was.

He lifted her up and started to pull her shirt off, exposing her stomach, and then her bra, then he pulled it over her head.

At this point she was struggling frantically and was on the verge of a serious meltdown. He pinned her hands above her head with one hand and put the other on her stomach. She cringed beneath his touch. "Get...off..." She panted, as she twisted in his grasp. She tried to scream but the sound died in her throat. His hands felt like sandpaper on her smooth silky skin.

He lowered himself onto her and started kissing her neck and made his way down to her shoulder.

'_This can't be happening like this...this isn't how it's supposed to be, and most certainly not with him! Just stop...please...'_ Just as his mouth reached the top of her bra a burst of light came flooding into the room. Hermione jerked her head over to see two figures standing in the doorway.

She could have wept with joy, not caring who the figures were at the moment, as long as they helped her. They would stop him wouldn't they? Rodolphus jerked his head up and blinked stupidly in the bright light.

"What the hell is this?" Bellatrix's shrill scream echoed deafeningly within the room. Hermione immediately knew she was done for. She was dead. She hadn't done anything wrong, but she knew she was going to take the blame for this. Here she was lying on the floor, not struggling, and Rodolphus was all over her.

Bellatrix ran into the room and shoved Rodolphus off of Hermione. She grabbed Hermione by the neck and jerked her up. Hermione tried to take in a breath, but Bellatrix's hand crushed her windpipe. Bellatrix was really planning on strangling her. She strained to look over at the other figure in the doorway. She could see the glow of white-blonde hair around their head. Lucius stood in the doorway and said nothing. It seemed as if he was merely a bystander, as if he couldn't stop it. _'So you're just going to stand there? Bloody coward.'_

Hermione could feel her lungs begging for air. The pain got worse by the second. She reached up and tried to scratch Bellatrix's face, arms, anything. No matter how hard she struggled, Bellatrix's grip only got stronger. The room around her started to fade away.

All of a sudden she felt a rush of oxygen surge into her lungs, then she hit the floor; hard. Bellatrix She started coughing as she rubbed her throat. Each cough made her feel as if she was going to pass out right then and there. Out of the corner of her eye she saw Rodolphus get up and go over to Lucius.

"You bitch! So you think stealing peoples husbands is alright you Mudblood? Who do you think you are?" Bellatrix yelled at the top of her lungs. Hermione thought she has seen Bellatrix at her angriest, but she was wrong. She had never seen someone so furious.

Bellatrix's face contorted and the vein in her neck looked like it was going to explode. "Crucio Crucio, Crucio!" She yelled over and over again, pointing her wand at Hermione. Hermione screamed out in pain. She just wanted to die. She couldn't handle it anymore and she knew it. She opened her eyes for a split second and saw her world start to fade away. "You two! Out! Now!" Bellatrix whirled around and yelled at the two men standing in the doorway.

Rodolphus nodded and left but Lucius hesitated for a second. After a few seconds he turned around to leave with Rodolphus, leaving Bellatrix alone with Hermione.

* * *

_**Lucius**_

Lucius walked along-side Rodolphus down the hallway, but found himself speeding up. He wanted, no – _needed_ – to get himself out of there. As they neared the stairs Rodolphus grabbed Lucius by the arm and spun him around.

"Don't. You. Ever. Touch. Me." Lucius ripped his arm away from Rodolphus' grip and started to turn around again.

"Look mate, all I want to know is why you and Bella showed up?" Rodolphus replied in a condescending manner.

Lucius stopped.

**-Flashback-**

_Lucius took a few steps outside the house and got ready to apparate back to the Manor. He hesitated for a few seconds; he couldn't leave. Not without...He turned back towards the house and stared at it._

_'It wouldn't be fair to Bella if he did anything to that Mudblood...I should warn her. For her sake...Narcissa would be angry if she found out I knew and didn't tell her sister.'_

_Lucius stood there for a few more seconds trying to reason exactly why he was going back inside._

_'Was it because of __**her**__?'No of course not.'But...' He shook the thought from his head. He turned around and made his way back up the stone steps. The door opened right before he reached it._

_"Oh, Lucius, I thought you were leaving." Bella stood in the doorway blocking his entrance back inside._

_"Yes, but Bella, I wanted to ask you. Where is Rodolphus right now?" Lucius took another step. He carefully examined Bella's change in attitude._

_"Why do you ask?" She said back as she narrowed her eyes. Why was she being suspicious of him? He was trying to help her after all. He took a deep breath. At times he seriously hated being connected to this woman in any way._

_"Well do you know where he is? I wanted to speak to him about a pressing matter before I left. I was about to apparate then I remembered a message the Dark Lord wanted me to relay to him."Every fibre of his being wanted to simply turn around and leave, and act like nothing was wrong. But could he __really sit around knowing what was happening at the moment?_

_Honestly, he probably could. Right now he would be sitting in his chair, maybe reading. But no, he was standing in front of this woman trying to save her marriage (or possibly ruin it). He couldn't believe he was trying to get Bella to go in and find Rodolphus with his hands on that Mudblood._

_"Well I don't know." Bella responded, "He might be near the prison cell. I saw him walk that way a few moments ago. I needed to take a break from that filthy girl. I've never had this much trouble with someone before. It simply infuriates me!"Lucius stood there pretending to listen to Bella's rant on the Mudblood, but really he could care less. _

_Pushing Bella aside he started walking towards the prison cells._

_"Lucius," Bella exclaimed. "How rude, where are you going?" She scurried after him, a determined expression on her face. Lucius ignored her questions and kept walking. He was silently hoping not to see what he knew was happening._

_After what seemed like hours to Lucius they reached the wooden door that lead into the prison cell. He stopped and heard nothing. Maybe nothing was happening at all. Wouldn't she be screaming if something was happening? Or would she be enjoying it? Was Rodolphus right?_

_Anger flared up within him just thinking about it. Suddenly he didn't want to open that door. He regretted ever coming back. Why hadn't he apparated when he was outside? He was so angry he could have kicked himself._

_"And why are we here? Don't tell me you want to see that Mudblood again. I will tell Narcissa-,"_

_Lucius took a deep breath and pushed open the door. If Rodolphus wasn't in there, it would calm his nerves and he could leave. Bella immediately shut her mouth and Lucius could feel the tension build in the air. He looked down and saw the one thing he didn't want to see. He saw Rodolphus with his filthy hands on her. Rodolphus looked up suddenly and Lucius could see the lust in his eyes. It was disgusting. But what bothered him the most was that she laying on the floor, just laying there, not struggling, not screaming; not doing anything._

_He knew she was stronger than that._

_She wouldn't give in._

_She must have been enjoying it._

_That filthy Mudblood..._

_'Why did I bother to come back?'_

_To think, he had even looked at her in any other then pure disgust? He had been fighting these emotions ever since he first laid his eyes on her just a week ago, but now he couldn't believe he had wasted his time thinking she was anything more than the filth she was._

_Before he knew it Bella had stormed into the room and grabbed her by the throat. Lucius stood there watching; he had no intent on stopping Bella from killing_ _her. She could suffocate for all he cared._

_He was so fixated on watching her skin turn all colors. It went from being pale, to a slight pink, then red, then almost purple. He never killed anyone by suffocating them, so this was new to him. It was always a simple Avada Kedavra and they were dead._

_He couldn't pull his eyes away from her. The expressions on her face, the color change, everything seemed to slow down. He noticed she was looking at him. He looked into her eyes and he could see them slowly start to fade. To him, it was almost beautiful. It sounded demented, and he knew that, but he couldn't stop watching. He just looked at her as everything about her started to break down, and fade away. Beautiful~_

**-End of flashback-**

Lucius stopped but didn't turn around. "I wanted Bella to know the type of scum she married."

"Lucius, I've known you for years, and you've never once cared about Bella? You care about her as much as I do." Rodolphus replied. He was right; but Lucius would never admit that. He was already having a hard time figuring out just why he'd gone back in the first place.

"Well I don't know then. Let's just hope that the Dark Lord doesn't find out about this." Lucius said as he walked away. He thought Rodolphus would stop him again, but he didn't. There was just silence as he turned the corner and left the house.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

Her back hit the wall with incredible force. "For the-," she took a deep breath, "last...time, it was...him."

"Liar!" Bellatrix screamed. She kicked Hermione's leg, and she went down with a thump. She cast a spell at Hermione's head and Hermione felt her vision starting to fade away. She blinked once, twice, but by then she couldn't see a thing. Pain came rushing to her eyes and forehead.

She reached up and grabbed her head. Warm liquid was steadily dripping from her eyes and forehead, which she figured to be her blood. Her heart began to palpitate, while gruesome thoughts raced across her mind; nineteen to the dozen. She was panicking, groping the air in hopes of finding something to help herself with, though she knew it was a hopeless cause.

Bellatrix let out a bark of a laugh. "Not so tough and brave are you now Mudblood? Take away a person's sight and they are so defenceless. I love it!" Bellatrix laughed harder. Tears began to mix with the blood already dripping from her eyes as Hermione gave in to her emotions. "Now you know, I'm really in the mood to get information from you. If you don't cooperate, I'll just have to torture you more, and if you actually give in, I'll get what I really wanted. I win either way."

"Stop it! Just make this stop! Please..."

"So you have resorted to begging? HA! How pathetic. I quite like seeing you like this. You always thought you were so superior to me, when really it's the other way around, and now here you are, begging!" Bellatrix yelled. Hermione could feel blood rush up to her head and it felt like her head was about to explode. "So first question, who are some more of Harry Potter's friends?"

_'Ugh, not this question again. I can't tell her. But if I don't, I'll lose my sight...but I just can't.' _Hermione thought. She knew she couldn't sell out her friends. She couldn't put anyone else through this torture. She couldn't say anything or else she would be the cause of their death. _The same reason why Ginny died..._she had to keep her mouth shut this time.

"So, you're not going to talk? I thought you being blind would really help you speak, but I guess not. I guess I should start taking away another sense..." Bellatrix said. She cast another spell, directing her wand at Hermione ear.

Hermione felt it hit her ear and then all she could hear was a loud ringing. She screamed but it sounded like a whisper to her. She could hear Bellatrix laugh faintly and then pain hit her. Hermione cried out as she was hit with Crucio again and again.

_Acid burning her skin _

_Knives stabbing into her flesh _

_Needles pricking into her eyeballs_

_Whips lashing across her back_

_Gun shots blasting through her body _

Every pain imaginable seemed to hit her all at once. Before she knew it her mouth moved and she was talking. "Luna Lovegood! Dean Thomas! Seamus Finnegan! and Neville Longbottom! Those were the only ones who came close to being close to him like Ron and I are!" _Oh shit..._her breath hitched in her throat as she realized the magnitude of her previous words. _She sold her friends out_; offered them up liked lambs to the slaughterer.

She felt a curse hit her ears again and she could almost _hear_ the silence in the room then. The ringing wasn't there anymore so she figured she had her hearing back; but at what cost? She had told Bellatrix what she wanted to know.

It was a harsh reality and she began to cry, letting out loud heaving sobs; that it made her whole body shake. She had done the one thing she said she wouldn't do. She'd given in; cracked under pressure. She couldn't believe where she was now; her whole mental state was wrecked, and so was her physical being. She sold out her friends all because of pain. Why hadn't she died for them? She didn't feel human anymore.

Other people would have to suffer now that she finally broken. Why did she just give up? She lasted this long, why did she crack now? She just couldn't take any more pain. Bellatrix knew more dark magic than Hermione could have ever dreamed of. _'Well of course, she was trained by Voldemort.'_

Who could do such things to a human being though? How could they have the audacity to think they are better than someone else because of their heritage?

"Wow Mudblood! You finally did it! Don't you feel proud? You sold out your friends, your only chance of survival. How does it feel hmm?" Bellatrix asked. She was beaming. Hermione could tell from the sound of her voice that she was having a hard time trying not to just start laughing like she always did.

She was right though...

If she ever did get out of there, how could she face any of them? If they were still alive..."Well Mudblood it seems that you will cooperate now, will you not?" Hermione didn't answer. "Well?" Bellatrix shrieked. "If I ask you something, I expect an answer! Crucio!" Hermione screamed only for a moment, before Bellatrix lifted the curse.

"Yes yes okay!" Hermione cried out. She was done with the pain. She didn't want anymore. She could only take so much. A huge maniacal smile spread across Bellatrix's face. "Good. So Mudblood, tell me, where is Harry Potter staying?"

"The Burrow with Ron's family..." Hermione's eyes started to water.

"Good. It looks like we are finally making progress. Who knows, maybe within the next hour you will be rid of all this pain hmm? Let's see if we can make that happen." Bellatrix said as she started to pace back and forth, tapping her makeshift wand against her crossed arms.

Hermione soul was screaming, berating her for what she had done _'Please forgive me.'_

* * *

_**Lucius**_

When Lucius arrived in front of the Manor he merely stood and stared at it; a million thoughts running through his mind. What was he doing? He was helping a Mudblood that he claimed he didn't care about. Even if there was an attraction, or an obsession there, it would never work. He was a pure-blood and she's a Mudblood. He was a Death Eater, she was Harry Potter's best friend. He thinks about her all the time, she would rather have Rodolphus. He would be killed if he ever touched her, she would be killed within the days either way.

He needed to forget about her. She was _nothing _at all. How many times did he need to tell himself that? He walked up the steps and entered the foyer. Narcissa was standing there, a bag resting by her feet.

"Lucius," She said with a nod. It was the first time in three days that he had seen her. She hadn't come to bed the past two nights, and he hadn't run into her in the many hallways of the Manor. She looked beautiful; he noted. Her long black robes hugged her small frame perfectly. She was wearing a little make-up, but she didn't need it, and she was staring at him with a mixture of emotions.

He quickly walked towards her but said nothing. She just stared at him as he approached. He put his hand on the back of her head and pulled her face towards his. Their lips met forcefully and he immediately deepened the kiss.

At first he could feel her hesitation but only a few seconds after he kissed her, she started to return it. He wrapped his other hand around her waist and pulled her closer so that their bodies met.

He thought back to a week ago when that Mudblood was disguised as her, and he wanted to just hold her forever. He pulled away suddenly and almost expected to see two brown eyes look back at him, but instead he was shocked to see Narcissa's blue eyes. Of course it would be her eyes, why would he think any differently?

He looked into her eyes for a few seconds then crushed his lips against hers once again. They made their way into the room just off the foyer and he pushed her onto the black rug on the floor. He lowered himself on to her as he pushed his cloaks off. Kissing her hungrily he grappled with her clothes as the heat started to rise.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

They lay on the rug panting, as he looked up at the ceiling. Why did he think about the stupid Mudblood so much when he has Narcissa, his beautiful wife...He looked over at her and tenderly brushed stray hairs off her cheek; returning the smile she had on her face as she turned towards him.

"What's with you being so spontaneous all of a sudden?" She let out a little laugh. They had never been the romantic type of couple, and this was probably the first time in twenty years that they just went for it. It surprised Lucius just as much as it surprised Narcissa.

"I've been a complete fool, and I've missed you." Narcissa smiled even more, like it was the one thing she wanted to hear. Lucius continued, "And I've needed to get out all this pent up frustration I've had. Ever since that Mudblood came here, I've just been so angry and...well, scared."

Narcissa's attitude took a sudden shift. "Is that all you care about now?"

"What do you mean?" Lucius looked at her in confusion.

"That Mudblood, she's all I hear about from you now, and that's all you talk and think about. So this, just now, was all because of her?" Narcissa sat up and pulled on her shirt.

"What? No, of course not. That's not what I meant..." Lucius said as he sat up as well. Narcissa stopped.

"Lucius, we have been together for over twenty years. I know when you are lying." She stood up and got dressed.

"Narcissa wait," Lucius stood up and hastily began dragging his clothes on.

"No, I'm done. Just the other day you were so furious at me for defending her, and now look at you! You can't take her off your mind for one second!" She almost shouted, her words laced with disbelief. "I've seen you sitting around drinking, and mumbling things about her."

"That's not true. Narcissa you know I love you. That Mudblood is just a prisoner and there's nothing going on. There is a lot going on right now with the war and being in hiding, and I'm concerned that she will ruin our plans. That's it." Lucius said.

Narcissa was silent for a minute. "I can't believe you." She said as she left the room. Lucius sighed, rubbed his forehead, and shook his head. Was he really that easy to read now? He fastened the clip on his cloak and strode out of the room. As he walked, not really caring where he went but he just kept walking, he felt a sharp pain in his left arm. He pulled up his sleeve and saw his Dark Mark elevated and he knew that the Dark Lord was on his way.

Lucius stopped for a second to regain his composure, and to think where exactly he was in the Manor. He shook his head and turned around. After about a minute he reached the foyer and opened the doors. There stood Voldemort, in all his terrifying glory.

"Lucius, we have matters to discuss." He said. Lucius tensed up but managed to keep his voice steady and strong.

"Yes my Lord, come in." he said stepping out of the way. Silently, they made their way into a room with a small round table and about five chairs spread around it. Lucius pulled out one chair for Voldemort and went around to the other side, waiting for him to sit down. Voldemort sat down and motioned for Lucius to sit as well. Lucius barely hit the seat before Voldemort started talking again.

"Lucius, how are you?" He asked amiably enough. Lucius's heart raced. Every time Voldemort asked a personal question such as that, it usually was followed by a change of plan that, most of the time, wasn't pleasant.

"I'm good my Lord, thank you. And may I ask how you are doing?" Lucius replied calmly.

"Good, thank you. I came here to talk to you about something that has been brought to my attention." Lucius felt his mind go fuzzy and found he couldn't control his thoughts no matter how hard he tried. He figured Voldemort was using Legilimency. It always took Lucius by surprise and it wasn't the most comfortable feeling, but he had suffered through worse before, so he could handle it.

He thought about walking in on Rodolphus with the Mudblood. Then he felt his mind stop racing through thoughts and he had control again. At that moment he knew what Voldemort had come to discuss. He knew it wasn't going to end well, but he was happy that Voldemort was here for that, and not something else. At first he thought Voldemort had the same suspicions as Bella and Narcissa, but he was wrong. _'Thank God...'_ He thought. "Yes my Lord, that-," Lucius started before the Dark Lord interrupted.

"Would you care to explain that?" Voldemort said as he narrowed his eyes.

"With all due respect, there isn't much to explain. As I was leaving that day from telling the Mudblood about her parents, I ran into Rodolphus. He was making hints at making a move on the Mudblood so I went back and caught him in the act."

"Pity," Voldemort murmured. "There have been few cases where someone has fallen for their prisoner. It's not a surprise when it does happen. It's disgraceful, yes, but not surprising. It's too bad that it was Rodolphus. He would be the last person I would think would do such a disgraceful thing such as touching a Mudblood". Voldemort trailed off, apparently lost in thought. He was quiet for so long, Lucius almost feel into a stupor. He wished Voldemort would just get to the point but he couldn't rush him. Oh no, that would never do.

Ages later when Lucius was about to fall asleep, Voldemort finally spoke. "Anyways Lucius, I went to go have a little talk with the Mudblood and found she was barely alive. Bella, it seems, has gone too over-board as expected." He paused for emphasis, waiting for Lucius's reply.

"As usual," Lucius finally said. Voldemort leaned forward slightly. If Lucius hadn't been staring at him and examining all his movements, he probably wouldn't have seen that.

"Well, I think it is best if the Mudblood is put under your care until Potter decides to show up. In the mean time I would suggest getting as much information from her as possible. Anything would be good, such as her life at Hogwarts, friends, Potter's interests, et cetera. It would only help us in the end." He stood up as soon he finished giving Lucius his orders.

Lucius was stunned. Why him of all people? He already tried this, and failed honestly. Why did he have to take her in _his_ house again? He knew he couldn't refuse the offer and he had to say something.

"Very well my Lord." Lucius said as he quickly nodded at his master. Voldemort nodded back and disappeared. Lucius flopped back down into his seat and leaned back in his chair.

_'Take in the Mudblood...'_ He stood up again and kicked his chair, causing it to fly back to the wall.

He picked up the table and flipped it over. He took a few other chairs and either kicked them or threw them across the room. His face contorted as his anger turned into pure fury. His hair was flying everywhere as he threw things against the wall. Eventually he calmed down and took a breath.

He stood up straight, placed his hands on his hips and looked around the room at the broken table and chairs. He realized having her here was going to drive him mad.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Lucius lay and watched the way the moonlight outlined the furniture in his room; imagining that they were hunting beasts and he was the prey. That's exactly how he felt inside. His conflicting emotions driving him mad, to the point where being ripped to shreds by wild animals sounded pleasurable.

The raw pain in Narcissa's eyes from earlier still haunted him. The emotions in her eyes were unbearable. Pain, sorrow, anger, and regret...Lucius frowned. His marriage was going to hell if he didn't make up his mind soon.

Choosing the correct side was impossible though,-because when to him-there was no correct side. He had feelings for the Mudblood. He wasn't going to deny that fact anymore. What he couldn't understand was why? Why would he notice someone as insignificant as her, when for years, he'd never noticed his wife; beautiful as she may be. How on earth was he supposed to choose? Lucius mused upon that for a moment. If he wasn't mistaken, the logic in his current thought patterns was horribly flawed. It shouldn't have to be a _choice_. Of course he should want Narcissa, and put her above everyone and everything else. She ought to be his priority. _'Too bad things never go the way we want them to'_ Lucius thought bitterly. _'Looks like chivalry's dead'. _

Thinking about chivalry made him think of his father. Lucius shuddered. Abraxas Malfoy was not a memory he was fond of. His eyelids started to flutter, and he welcomed the sleepy feeling with open arms. At least when he was asleep he was neither here nor there. He was simply in a place where emotions and other human qualities, didn't exist. _'In fact'_ Lucius thought numbly before he slipped away into dreamland. _'When we fall asleep, do we cease to exist too?' _

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

"_No Abraxas, I will not!" I hide under the blankets as Mother's shrill voice echoes through the house. Father must be drunk again; and asking her to do all sorts of outlandish things. The sound of breaking glass scares me. It seems as if this row will be worse than the last one. The prospect is terrifying, because during the last row my parents had, my father ended up knocking my Mother silly. She had to get eight stitches across her forehead, and five more under her jaw. _

_I hear the sound of another glass breaking and quietly slip from under the covers. I tread carefully across the cold marble floors and pause at my bedroom door. Should I go out? Should I try to break up the fight? I'm only eight years old; will I get hurt like last time if I do? Don't get me wrong, I'm not completely helpless or pathetic. I'm the top in my pre-school class, and I can recite the Herbology elements table with ease – not to brag or anything. I'm just smart enough to know that if I go outside, it might not end too well. I hear my Mother scream and make my decision. Pulling the door open as fast as I can (it's really heavy), I fly down the hallway and stop at the staircase. I stand on tip-toe to try and see over the banister, but that fails, so I squat and peer through the poles instead. _

_Father has Mother by the throat, and he's squeezing so hard his eyeballs are popping. I gasp involuntarily, but they don't hear, because Mother manages to draw in a shaky breath right then, which she releases into a bloodcurdling scream seconds later. _

_The scream makes my toes curl and my hair stand on end. I brush my long pale locks out of my face and scream too. "Father stop, you're hurting Mother!" He pauses and looks up at me. I can see the sneer that's twisted on his face clearly. There's a huge red mark on his neck and I wonder if my Mother gave it to him. _

"_Get your ass back to bed," he growls at me. "If you're not gone in five seconds I swear to Merlin I'm going to come up there and-," I never get to hear what he has left to say, because Mother manages to twist free. She slaps him hard across the face and he staggers back in shock. She uses that time to turn and run madly for the stairs. _

"_Lucius," she screams, "Run sweetheart! Go to your room and lock yourself in!" I stand up terrified. I want to obey but my legs feel frozen. Mother looks crazy, deranged. Her normally neat hair is flying all over the place, her cheeks are flushed, and he eyes are as wide as saucers. "Baby, go!" she cries. She's now racing up the second flight of stairs and I still have not budged. Only when I notice my father hauling ass after her, do I run. _

_I pelt down the corridor, my heart beating so fast I'm prepared to take off any minute. My feet make a loud slapping noise against the marble and I wish I'd worn my house shoes. The floor is hard, and not at all gentle on the feet. _

_My mother screeches, and I look over my shoulder. What I see makes me stop in absolute shock and Horror. Father has his custom made dagger in his hand; and he's stabbing Mother repeatedly in the stomach. My blood runs cold as I watch. Her eyes are rolling and she's still kicking and screaming. Father pulls the dagger back and drives it home into her chest. _

_My scream equals that of a Banshee. "MOTHER!" I feel so helpless, so vulnerable, as my Mother collapses to the ground wheezing horribly. I continue to shriek, not even noticing my father coming at me. All I see is my mother._

_In a pool of blood_

_Nothing more than a crumpled heap_

_Bleeding to death_

_Staring straight at me _

_Something grasps my hair and in the next second I'm airborne. I scream and start thrashing in a complete panic. My scalp is starting to hurt, and my eyes water from the pain. "Put me down," I scream, "You're hurting me, put me down!" By now, I've realized that it's my father holding me like this. "Father," I wail, "Please...put me down." He ignores my cries and swats my, hard, across the face. I feel my nose break and it hurts; _Badly...

_I kick out in retaliation hoping to strike him somewhere where he'll feel true pain. I hear him cry out and I fall to the floor with a thud. _Bingo, _apparently I've kicking him in the nuts. I turn and hightail it down the hallway once again. I reach my room and slam the door behind me, panting heavily. On a scale of one to ten, this night has turned out to be a negative one thousand. _

_I reach up to touch my nose and feel wetness. I'm crying, and I didn't even realize it. I also feel something warm. I glance at my hand to confirm my suspicions. Yes, I'm bleeding, and yes, my nose is most definitely broken. The throbbing pain seemingly running up and down the middle of my face is proof of that. _

_I'm so preoccupied with my nose; that I practically jump out of my skin when my door goes flying off its hinges. It crashes into the opposite wall and I freeze in terror. Father sways in the doorway, a looming, hulking figure, his silhouette even more frightening in the dark. I sink back against the wall with a whimper. I just want this night to be over, I want this nightmare to go away. _

_With an almighty, inhumane roar, Father stomps across the room at me; fire in his eyes. I scream and make a flying leap for my bed. He lurches forward and nabs me mid-air; slamming me down to the floor, hard. A jolt of pain surges up my back as it connects with the ground. I'm screaming incoherently now, striking out with my tiny fists hoping to fend him off. _

_His heavy boot stamps down right over my stomach, and I sit up with a choked gasp. Something sharp is sticking me and I fall back down with a cry. It's one of my left ribs. It's broken and poking into my stomach. "F-Father, please," I stare up at him. "Why are you doing this? It's me father, Lucius! Why are you hurting me?" _

_He stamps again and this time I start coughing up blood. My stomach is on fire, my head is pounding, my eyes are so full of tears everything seems blurry, and he's still beating me to a bloody pulp. I weakly try to defend myself, but it's of no use. He easily knocks down the barrier I've created with my arms and drags me to my feet. I waver on the spot, ready to fall at any given moment. He slaps me across my face and I reel back, smacking the ground once again. My head hits it hard this time, and suddenly my vision is seriously blurry, my ears are ringing, and my head feels fuzzy. _

_That coupled with the pain I'm already feeling from my broken rib, and the knowledge that my Mother is probably dead; makes me fall apart. I let it all out, screaming for all the gods in heaven to hear. _

"_Shut up you little bastard!" I barely hear my father through my own wails. He's coming at me again, and I see the moonlight glint off something shiny in his hand from my position on the ground. My screams stop immediately. I can't even breathe. All my focus is trained on that shiny dagger. _

_Father grabs me by my hair again and jerks me to my feet. My scalp protests violently and I get a splitting headache. That's the least of my worries though. The way Father is looking at me...I shiver. No, this is not my papa, this is not the man who used to tuck me in and sing me lullabies. This is NOT my FATHER. _

_Before another coherent thought can run through my mind, that dagger is at my throat. It's sharp, lurking presence scares me so bad I almost pass out right then and there. I feel a warm wetness spreading in my PJ's, I've peed myself. Any other time I would have wanted to die of shame, right now however, I'm too terrified to even move a finger. "You're worthless," Father's breath is warm on my ear. "Just like your Mother, you're worthless. I'm ashamed to call you my son". Those words _hurt _they really do. I sniffle pathetically and his grip on my hair tightens. He pulls my head back, leaving my neck vulnerable to the dagger. "Your skin is so pale," Father murmurs a moment later. My eyes widen in confusion. What was he on about? "I wonder...how you taste..." I feel something wet lick my neck and freak out. It's his tongue. I struggle to get free but he yanks harshly on my hair, bringing my neck back to breaking point, and growls. "Don't move". I stand in absolute horror as he sucks on my pulse point. _

_What is he doing, and more importantly why, is he doing this! That dagger is still lightly tracing patterns on my skin and I'm sweating bullets now. Just how much did Father drink? I know he's a lush, it's no secret. But to be molesting me like this...I close my eyes, feigning unconsciousness. Surely he'll put me down once he realizes I'm not longer responsive. It's my only hope of escape._

_Sure enough I feel myself gently being lowered to the ground moments later. I peek through my eyelids and see father keel down beside me. Suddenly one of his hands is sliding up under my shirt and the other is going places I definitely DO NOT want it going. My plan has backfired stupendously, if I say so myself. _

_I'm not about to just lay there and let Father molest me though. He may be drunk and disoriented, but that's no excuse. Ignoring the screaming pain in my abdomen and stomach, I sit up as fast as I can and dig my nails into Father's cheek. They break through the skin, and warm liquid runs over my palm. He falls back with a howl and I scramble to my feet. _

_I rush for the door and I'm almost there when once again, he grabs me by the hair and pulls. I fly backwards and this time my back connects with the wall. I slump down unable to bear the pain. I couldn't move another muscle even if I tried my hardest. I know I'm done for, Father's going to kill me; if the way he's racing at me is anything to go by. He raises the dagger and I flinch. I'm only eight, and I'm going to die. My life hasn't even begun yet. Why is this happening? _

"_You," Father snarls, he's inches away from me now "When I get my hands on you, I'll-," BAP, something hits him from behind. I see a shimmer of green light and stare, astounded, as Father's face seems to freeze. His eyes widen, and the dagger drops from his hands. I watch it fall, it's twirling __slowly, twisting and turning in the air, before it hits the ground, the dagger pointing towards to door as if it's trying to tell me something. _

_I look up and see Mother in the doorway. She's gasping, her chest heaving from the effort, and the dagger is still wedged in her chest. Blood coats her robes, steadily dripping to the ground; creating a puddle at her feet. _

_Father falls then, and he too seems to drop in slow motion. His eyes slant towards me right before he hits the ground and his lips form a word that I could read from a million miles away. "Lu...ci..us..." His hand twitches, then he is still. My world shatters. _

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Lucius surged upright gasping harshly. He stared at the cover of the four poster bed he was lying on and blinked rapidly. What a dream...his heart was beating madly and sweat had broken out across his forehead. He hadn't had that dream in a long time. He started blinking again as the memories of that faithful night came flooding back. Gritting his teeth, he tried to fight the onslaught but it was no use. His eyelids started fluttering and darkness crept up on him. "No," Lucius whimpered. He had tried so hard to forget; to erase those memories. Using Occulemency he'd barricaded them behind a closed door in his mind; not even Voldemort could have cracked his shield. So what was making them come back now? Unable to fight anymore, Lucius gave up and allowed his screaming soul to be swallowed by his past once again.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

_I could see Mother limping towards me, but I barely acknowledged her presence. My eyes were stuck on my Father's face, as if he was the positive side of a magnet, and I, the negative. Was he...dead? Why weren't his eyes moving? Why was he so still? What had Mother done? I jumped when something cold touched my face and realized it was my Mother. She was crouched down in front of me, her face contorted in pain. _

"_Lucius," her voice was soft and tender despite the pain she most have been feeling. "Baby I'm so sorry". She gently touched my nose and I emitted a soft cry, unable to help myself. Sorrow seemed to fill her eyes and I watched, hypnotized, as she reached into her robes for something. She drew out what looked like a piece of chalk and I stared at it in bewilderment. What was that for? _

_I sat perfectly still as she drew an assortment of shapes on my arms, and forehead; muttering under her breath the whole time. After what seemed like forever she dropped the chalk and leaned towards me. Her eyes were intense and filled with an emotion I couldn't decipher. "Baby, Lucius, my son," she breathed. "I love you, you know that?" I nodded; she tells me that she loves me all the time. _

"_I love you too, mommy," she smiled and I knew it was because it was one of those rare occasions when I actually called her mommy. _

"_I'll always be watching over you," she whispered. I blinked and shook my head. Why did she sound like she was saying goodbye?_

"_Mommy-," I began, I was really starting to freak out. She placed her index finger over my lips cooing __softly. _

"_It's alright sweetheart, I'll always be by your side". I'm super scared now, really I am. Mother places her hands on my shoulders and leans in to connect our foreheads. A warm sensation starts working its way down my body. My head and vision become clearer. My headache is gone and I feel as if that warm feeling is spreading across all my wounds. My ribs seem to straighten themselves and the pain slowly ebbs away. What's going on? I look up through my eyelashes at my Mother. I'm so close to her I can see the beauty spot on her cheek. _

_Suddenly she starts to slip. The world seems to stop spinning then. Her forehead is gently sliding down mine, and her hands are slipping off my arms. She lightly flutters her eyelashes, giving me plenty of butterfly kisses; then the contact is gone. _

_Her head bows and rests on my chest. Instinctively I place my hand over her left breast, feeling her heart beat beneath my touch. She's slowly sliding down now, and when her head finally comes to rest in my lap, her heart has stopped beating altogether. _

_I don't speak, I don't cry. I don't think and I don't move. I just sit there with my hand still lying on her chest, waiting for a heartbeat that will never come. I sit there with my dead parents, and finally, as reality begins to trickle in, the damn breaks. My emotions erode, my world unhinges and plummets through space and I hit the floor. From this angle I can see the back of Mother's hair. It's held back with the butterfly clip I got her last spring...Last spring...she was alive then...I begin singing softly, unaware of it at first. As I realize what I'm doing, my voice becomes stronger and I reach out to curl my fingers in Mother's golden locks._

_~I once had a rowboat that would take me anywhere I wanted to go~_

_~And I'd travelled the seas, following where the winds blow~_

_~I once had a kite that would sail to great heights~_

_~And when it came back down it would tell me of all the magnificent sights~_

_~I once a teddy bear that would chase away all my nightly fears~_

_~And it would sing me songs while it cried cotton tears~_

_I break off mid-song unable to continue. It's the lullaby Mother used to sing to me. Back then it could calm me, back then I never had nightmares after hearing it. Unfortunately, that was back then, and right now, I'm drowning. No one's here, I'm all alone, and the screaming silence is tearing me apart. _

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Lucius blinked blearily as his room once more came into focus. The memories had left him with a tidal wave of emotions. He'd kept those memories locked up for so long. Why had his shields broken? It had been six years since his last dream about those events. What changed?

Lucius suddenly stiffened as he realized that he wasn't alone. He reluctantly turned his head, and sat up, not knowing what to expect. To his surprise, Draco was standing in the middle of the room looking decidedly embarrassed as he shuffled his feet.

"Father," he peeked tentatively up at him. "Are you alright? I came in wanting to ask you something but you seemed-," he broke off, turned beet red, and looked back down. Lucius suddenly felt a strong sensation of Déjàvu. Wasn't this the way he had acted around his father too? Trying too hard to please him? Tip-toeing around him, as if the slightest noise or wrong question would set him off?

He didn't want Draco's childhood to be like that at all. Had he truly been acting like his father this entire time? Disgust welled up in his chest. He was nothing like his father, and he'd be damned if Draco ever had to go through what he did. He glanced at the bottle of firewisky he'd taken into the room with him and felt ashamed. Looking back at Draco he noted that his son seemed extremely nervous. Did he truly intimidate him that much? "Draco," Lucius slowly extended a hand towards his son. "Come here".

Draco looked stunned by the invitation, but he came quickly after a moment of hesitation. Lucius gently grabbed his arm and pulled him down beside him. "Father-,"

"Shhh," Lucius rested Draco's head on his shoulder. "You don't have to say anything Draco. I'm here". All the tension seemed to leak out of his son's body at those words. His limbs went lax and he leaned his full weight against Lucius.

Whether it was Draco's eager acceptance of his fatherly gesture, or the vivid memories he'd just dreamed about; Lucius made up his mind in that moment. He knew what he was going to do. He knew who he was going to choose and why. He knew the sacrifice he was going to have to make, if only to bring peace to his aching soul. He'd been lost and wandering for far too long. Now he was going to reclaim what was his. He was choosing, himself.

* * *

_**Hermione**_

She lay in complete darkness, staring at nothing in particular. She had gotten so used to being in complete darkness that it didn't scare her anymore. If she heard a rattle in the corner of the room, or if she heard a whisper coming from behind her, she usually welcomed the noise. It proved that she still existed, even in all this blackness.

She often thought about how long someone could stay in utter darkness without going completely mental. She wasn't sure how long she'd been locked up, nor did she know when it was day or night. Every few hours, Bellatrix would come in, torture her some more, and leave.

She wasn't asking information anymore, but she hadn't killed her yet either. It was odd, but Hermione would welcome death at the moment. This isn't living. It was the definition of Hell. If she ever got out of this mess she knew she wouldn't have a place to go. She'd sold out all her friends, and probably killed most of them because of it. Her parents were dead-thanks to Lucius-and she couldn't bear going back to her old house. Not with that knowledge.

_Numb_, that's how she felt. She closed her eyes, even though it was just as dark as when they were open. She drifted off into a dream-less sleep for what seemed like ten minutes before the door swung open. Light flooded the room and she groaned at the sudden change. It was probably Bellatrix. After the incident with Rodolphus-that happened who knows how long ago-he hadn't been back. She was thankful for that at least. The door swung shut after that and the darkness set in again.

Hermione's heart began to race. Bellatrix never shut the door when she came in. That could only mean...fear seized her, making her breathing more ragged and spasmodic. Rodolphus had come back for seconds. Why else would the door be closed?

She felt something prick her arm, and gasped. What was going on? What was he doing to her? Was he trying to drug her? The needle sunk deep and Hermione had to work hard not to cry out. Finally if withdrew and she relax considerably. Hands gripped her arms after that, and dragged her into a sitting position.

"Drink this," Hermione recognized the curt voice. It was Lucius. A cup was nudged into her hands. Hermione suspected it was water. She complied only because she was seriously dehydrated. Once she was finished she dropped the cup, since she couldn't see Lucius in the dark. An odd tingling sensation seemed to work its way through her body but she ignored it. She was too tired to worry over trifles. She heard the rustle of clothing as Lucius stood and waited for him to leave, but he didn't.

"Get up Mudblood." He said instead, with no emotion whatsoever.

"Why should I?" Hermione asked very softly as she breathed out.

"You ignorant, insufferable, Mudblood! Just do as I say. I'm now in charge of you. Now get up, we are leaving." Hermione rolled her eyes. She attempted to get to her feet while every cell in her body screamed in protest. She got to the point where she was on her knees and needed the wall to help her up. She stood on her for the first time in what felt like weeks. She leaned against the wall for support until she could find the energy to walk. She took one step and stumbled a bit.

Lucius didn't say anything, but he let out an irritated growling noise and walked over to her. He picked her up and carried her bridal style. Hermione immediately started to kick and wave her arms as best she could but it didn't seem to affect him.

The nerve! She couldn't believe he thought he could just pick her up and carry her. She was perfectly capable of walking on her own. "I'm not a patient man. I hate the fact I have to carry you too, so don't get any ideas Mudblood. But you were taking too long and I just want to leave here."

Hermione figured it wasn't going to do any good trying to break free from his arms so she just went along with it. She hated it, but she dealt with it. She looked up at his face and he just looked straight ahead, almost as if she wasn't there. She looked back down and scowled. She felt so small compared to him and it irritated her. His strong arms carried her effortlessly one and his steady pace never faltered.

She inhaled deeply and a musky scent filled her nose. It strangely comforted her. She relaxed a tiny bit, but not enough for him to notice. They made their way through the maze of a house and finally reached the doors leading outside. They didn't pass Bellatrix or Rodolphus on their way out and because of that Hermione silently rejoiced.

Lucius set her down on her feet. "I trust you have enough brains in your head to walk a few feet." He said, still not looking at her. Hermione ignored the comment and focused on staying upright. Her legs felt like jell-O, like they would give in at any time. She mustered enough energy to walk out the door and onto the cool wet grass. _'It must have rained.'_

She couldn't see anything except for what the moonlight highlighted for her. She looked up at the night sky and saw the bright full moon. Everything seemed hazy, but she was happy to know she could still see somewhat. Even though she knew she was going back to yet another prison cell, a spark of happiness came to her.

She thought she would never see the moon or feel the grass beneath her feet again. But here she was, doing that exactly that. She was surprised Lucius just stood there watching her. He didn't say a word. He just stood there. Not that she was complaining but she did think it odd. Despite everything, she closed her eyes and embraced the time she had outside. She took in a deep breath of the air surrounding them. A cool breeze caught her curly hair and brushed it from her face. It felt good against her various cuts.

She was so engulfed in her own world; she almost forgot Lucius was still standing there waiting for her.

"Take my arm." He said as he turned around.

"Why?" Hermione was taken aback by the sudden demand.

"Please tell me you aren't that simple-minded." Lucius replied. Hermione remained quiet because she knew if she dared to open her mouth, she would say something that would lead her into more trouble.

"We are apparating back to the Manor obviously." Lucius said annoyed. "Now come on." He held out his arm again. Hermione looked back up at the full moon and the stars. It was beautiful. She savoured the sight before she took his arm and they apparated.

She was positive she would never be able to see the moon and stars again after this night.

* * *

**A/N I want to thank my lovely lovely beta Ali (either Aaliyanna's-SeventhHeaven or Kirachetess, depending on what her username is at the moment. She likes to switch it up...) She created the dream sequence with Lucius (and of course beta'd this to make it all purdy :P). Much appriciation to her (: Anyhoo I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Update as of May 9th, 2011.**

**I'm still writing this story and I will keep updating. My beta and I are really discussing where this story is going and more and more plot bunnies have been coming to mind that I need to fit in. Also -so unprofessional of me- I decided I want this to make this into a 1st person story instead of 3rd, so we are going through basically rewriting it so it fits 1st and I want to add a bit more detail that I couldn't before. So the seventh chapter should be out soon, but so everyone knows, I haven't give up on this story. (:**


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